| Abstract |
In the paper the authors characterize the program action necessary in a two-tailed test of significance by defining and relating the following: (1) test of significance, (2) statistic, (3) null hypothesis, (4) test assumptions, (5) law of random variation for the statistic when H(0) is true, (6) alternative hypothesis, (7) distribution of the statistic when H(+) is true, (8) four possible decisions in a test of significance (9) type-I error, (10) critical values, or value, (11) type-II error, (12) power of the test, (13) rejection region, (14) acceptance region, (15) decision rules, (16) statistical decision, (17) diagram of a two-region, (15) decision rules, (16) statistical decision, (17) diagram of a two-sided test of significance, (18) robustness, (19) sample size, (20) test of significance summarized, (21) example of a two-tailed t-test. The second part describes the program of action in a test of significance when extended to one-sided tests. In addition simple and composite hypotheses are illustrated by several examples. Finally, the relationship between a significance test and confidence limits is exhibited when variations on a two-sided t-test are discussed. |
