Transcript Chapter22
What is a Test of Significance?
Statistical hypotheses – statements about population
parameters
Examples
Mean weight of adult males is greater than 160
Proportion of students with a 4.0 GPA is less than .01
In statistics, we test one hypothesis against another
The hypothesis that we want to prove is called the
alternative hypothesis, H a
Another hypothesis is formed that contradicts H a . This
hypothesis is called the null hypothesis, H 0
After taking the sample, we must either: Reject H 0 and
believe H a , or Fail to reject H 0 because there was not
sufficient evidence to reject it (meaning there is not
sufficient evidence to prove H a )
Types of errors
H 0 is true
H 0 is false
Fail to reject H 0
Correct
Type II error
Reject H 0
Type I error
Correct
The probability with which we are willing to risk a type I
error is called the level of significance of a test and is
denoted
The probability of making a type II error is denoted
The quantity 1 is known as the power of a test. It
represents the probability of rejecting H 0 when in fact
it is false
Decreasing increases
Sample size is the only way to control both types of error
Test Statistic – the statistic we compute to make the
decision (sampling distribution of the test statistic
must be known)
The p-value of a hypothesis test is the smallest value of
such that H 0 would have been rejected
If p - value , reject H 0
If p - value , fail to reject H 0
Steps of a hypothesis test
1) State H a and H 0
2) Calculate the test statistic
3) Identify the p-value
4) Make decision and interpret results
Example
The current treatment for a type of cancer produces
remission 20% of the time. An investigator wishes to
prove that a new method is better. Suppose 26 of 100
patients go into remission using the new method.
.05
There is not sufficient evidence to conclude the new
method is better.
Example
Do less than 50% of people prefer Murray’s Vanilla
Wafer’s when compared to other brands? Suppose that
in a taste test 42 of the 250 choose Murray’s.
.05
Conclude with 95% confidence that less than 50% of
people prefer Murray’s Vanilla Wafer’s when compared
to other brands.
Inference about a Population Mean
Remember x
x
n
is the standard deviation of the sampling
distribution which is referred to as the standard error
Z
x
n
has approximately a standard
normal distribution
)
Therefore, E Z (
n
and the confidence interval is
xE
Example
A sample of 100 visa accounts were studied for the
amount of unpaid balance.
x $645 and $132
Construct a 95% confidence interval
We are 95% confident the mean unpaid balance of visa
accounts is between $619.13 and $670.87.
Construct a 99% confidence interval
We are 99% confident the mean unpaid balance of visa
accounts is between $611.00 and $679.00.
Notice that as we increase the confidence level the
interval gets wider
Example
A random sample of 500 apples yields
Assume 1.1 oz.
x 9.2 oz.
Find a 95% confidence interval
We are 95% confident the population mean weight of
apples is between 9.104 and 9.296 oz.
Example
A consumer protection agency wants to prove that
packages of Post Grape Nuts average less than 24 oz.
.05
n 100
x 23.94
.13
Conclude with 95% confidence that packages of Post
Grape Nuts has a mean less than 24 oz.
Example
It is desired to show the mean weight of a metal
component is greater than 4.5 oz.
.05
n 10
x 4.59
.504
There is not sufficient evidence to prove that the mean
weight is greater than 4.5 oz.