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Dealing with assumptions underlying statistical tests
Author(s) -
Wells Craig S.,
Hintze John M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.20241
Subject(s) - psychology , test (biology) , statistical hypothesis testing , statistical analysis , data collection , test validity , psychometrics , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , statistics , paleontology , mathematics , biology
Abstract The validity of a hypothesis test is partly determined by whether the assumptions underlying the test are satisfied. In the past, a preliminary analysis of the data has been suggested prior to the use of the statistical test. In this article, the authors describe several limitations of preliminary tests (e.g., influence on significance levels). Another strategy that uses theoretical knowledge in conjunction with prior empirical evidence and reason, prior to data collection, is described. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 495–502, 2007.