Konubinix' opinionated web of thoughts

Null Hypothesis Significance Testing: A Short Tutorial

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Null hypothesis significance testing: a short tutorial

[2021-01-12 Tue 23:04]

NHST is a method of statistical inference by which an experimental factor is tested against a hypothesis of no effect or no relationship based on a given observation

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:09]

only the null-hypothesis is tested, and therefore p-values are meant to be used in a graded manner to decide whether the evidence is worth additional investigation and/or replication

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:10]

no isolated experiment, however significant in itself, can suffice for the experimental demonstration of any natural phenomenon’

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:10]

The p-value is not an indication of the strength or magnitude of an effect.

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:11]

the p-value is not informative on the effect itself

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:11]

In low powered studies (typically small number of subjects), the p-value has a large variance across repeated samples, making it unreliable to estimate replication

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:12]

The p-value is not the probability of the null hypothesis p(H0), of being true

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:12]

This common misconception arises from a confusion between the probability of an observation given the null p(Obs≥t|H0) and the probability of the null given an observation p(H0|Obs≥t) that is then taken as an indication for p(H0)

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:26]

The figure was prepared with G-power for a one-sided one-sample t-test, with a sample size of 32 subjects, an effect size of 0.45, and error rates alpha=0.049 and beta=0.80. In Fisher’s procedure, only the nil-hypothesis is posed, and the observed p-value is compared to an a priori level of significance. If the observed p-value is below this level (here p=0.05), one rejects H0. In Neyman-Pearson’s procedure, the null and alternative hypotheses are specified along with an a priori level of acceptance. If the observed statistical value is outside the critical region (here [-∞ +1.69]), one rejects H0.

  • IIUC, Fisher’s p-values tests H0’s significance while Neaman&Pearson’s alĥa, beta compares the relative significance of H1

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:27]

there is a profound difference between accepting the null hypothesis and simply failing to reject it

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:28]

absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:30]

To make a statement about the probability of a parameter of interest (e.g. the probability of the mean), Bayesian intervals must be used.

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:34]

what is the goal of a scientific experiment at hand? If the goal is to establish a discrepancy with the null hypothesis and/or establish a pattern of order, because both requires ruling out equivalence, then NHST is a good tool

  • Occam’s rasor

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:33]

If the goal is to test the presence of an effect and/or establish some quantitative values related to an effect, then NHST is not the method of choice since testing is conditioned on H0

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:42]

no isolated experiment, however significant in itself, can suffice for the experimental demonstration of any natural phenomenon

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:42]

no single value (being p-values, Bayesian factor or else) can be used support or invalidate a theory

[2021-01-13 Wed 07:43]

one cannot predict and/or discuss quantities without accounting for variability