Research Methods 2

Week 10: Comparing two groups: I the t-tests

Aims
To understand how the ideas of hypothesis testing are applied to Normally distributed data.

Objectives

To know how to use Minitab to apply an unpaired t-test.

To understand the difference between a paired and an unpaired t-test.

To be able to apply both test using Minitab

To know the assumptions underlying these tests and the importance of these assumptions

This week there are two documents to be studied, with an exercise sheet for each. The first concerns the practical application of hypothesis testing to unpaired, Normally distributed data.

From the Learning Materials folder, study the document Comparing two groups: I the unpaired t-test, which explains the ideas behind this test.
Attempt the questions in Exercise Sheet 1 in the Formative Assessment Activities folder.
You should check your answers by referring to the Solutions to Exercise Sheet 1.

The next document considers the paired t-test.

From the Learning Materials folder, study the document Comparing two groups: II the paired t-test, which deals with the paired version of the test.
Attempt the questions in Exercise Sheet 2 in the Formative Assessment Activities folder.
You should check your answers by referring to the Solutions to Exercise Sheet 2.

Further reading on the topics addressed this week can be found in Bland, chapter 10 (up to section 6)