I got here to write down this text through what was a predictable yet still unexpected set of events. I recently finished a course on statistical testing and reporting, and I set out to write down a series of articles explaining the small print of probably the most useful statistical tests I learned. I needed to do that each to cement my very own knowledge in addition to help other data scientists learn a subject I discovered immensely helpful.
The primary of those articles was going to be on the t-test, a standard statistical test used to find out if two means (averages) from different sets of information are statistically different. I started to write down this text, but I spotted I needed to first explain that there are two different sorts of t-tests. Then, I spotted that to elucidate that, I needed to elucidate a separate but related underlying concept. The cycle continued as I planned out the article.
Moreover, I spotted that I would wish to do that with each recent article I wrote, as every statistical test required the identical underlying knowledge base. Fairly than repeat this information in each article, it might be significantly better to reference one standing source of knowledge.
And thus, this text was born. Within the words that follow, I’ll attempt to provide a concise but effective primer on the fundamental concepts you ought to be acquainted with as a way to conduct and report statistical tests. In your convenience, I even have broken down the concepts within the order you’d encounter them running a study from start to complete. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
Quantitative Study Design
When designing a study, there are several necessary details one needs to think about. This text just isn’t about study design, and I won’t be going into the small print of best practices and the reasoning behind them. That said, the design of a study strongly influence the eventual statistical test needed, and so it is important to have a basic understanding of the next concepts:
- Aspects and measures
- Levels and coverings