ABSTRACT

Significance testingIn statistical testing, a result is called statistically significant if it is unlikely to have occurred by chance, and hence provides enough evidence to reject the hypothesis of ‘no effect’. The tests involve comparing the observed values with theoretical values. The tests establish whether there is a relationship between the variables, or whether pure chance could produce the observed results. For most scientific research, a statistical significance test eliminates the possibility that the results arose by chance, allowing a rejection of the null hypothesis. This chapter introduces the principles of significance testing.