Applying Basic Statistical Tests to a Research Scenario

Statistical Analysis Decision Table

Basic Statistical Analysis

Variable 1 Variable 2 Statistical Analysis Sample Research Question

Mean Difference

Categorical with 2-levels

Metric Independent Samples t Test

Is there a difference in attitudes towards weight gain between men and women?

Categorical with 2 or more levels

Metric One-Way ANOVA Is there a difference in critical thinking scores among psychology, health sciences, and information technology students?

Metric Metric on same scale as Variable 1

Paired Samples t Test Is there a difference in pre- and post-test critical thinking scores among students who completed a course on critical thinking?

Correlation Metric Metric Correlation or Bivariate Regression

Is there a relationship between number of hours spent studying and grade point average (GPA)?

Metric Multiple metric variables

Multiple Linear Regression

Are childhood trauma frequency, severity, and age of initial trauma predictors of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Association Categorical with 2 or more levels

Categorical with 2 or more levels

Chi Square Test of Independence (Crosstabs in IBM SPSS)

Is there a relationship between gender (male or female) and political affiliation (republican, democrat, independent)?