ABSTRACT
Statistical tests are used to investigate if the observed data contradict or support specific biological assumptions. In short, a statistical test evaluates how likely the observed data are if the biological assumptions under investigation are true. If the data are very unlikely to occur given the assumptions, then we do not believe in the assumptions. Hypothesis testing forms the core of statistical inference, together with parameter estimation and confidence intervals, and involves important new concepts like null hypotheses, test statistics, and p-values. We will start by illustrating the ideas with an example.
