t – test

Chapter 4 – 1
Definition:
• The t test (also called Student’s T Test)
compares two averages (means) and tells
you if they are different from each other.
The t test also tells you how significant the
differences are; In other words it lets you
know if those differences could have
happened by chance.

Chapter 4 – 2
Chapter 4 – 3
Steps:
• Create four columns: "x", "(x-Mx)2", "y", "(y-My)2"
• Put the raw data for group X in column x, and for group Y in column y
• Calculate the mean for both groups
• Calculate deviation scores for each group by subtracting each score
from it's group mean and squaring it and put these in the columns "(x-
Mx)2" and "(y-My)2"
• Sum the squared deviation scores for each group
• Calculate S2 for each group
• Set up formula
• Calculate t
• Check to see if t is statistically significant on probability table
with df = N-2 (N = total number of scores)

Chapter 4 – 4
Example:
• Problem: Sam Sleepresearcher hypothesizes that people
who are allowed to sleep for only four hours will score
significantly lower than people who are allowed to sleep
for eight hours on a cognitive skills test. He brings sixteen
participants into his sleep lab and randomly assigns them
to one of two groups. In one group he has participants
sleep for eight hours and in the other group he has them
sleep for four. The next morning he administers the SCAT
(Sam's Cognitive Ability Test) to all participants. (Scores
on the SCAT range from 1-9 with high scores representing
better performance).

Chapter 4 – 5
 Sam’s Cognitive Activity Test
8 hours sleep
group (X) 5 7 5 3 5 3 3 9

8 hours sleep
group (Y) 8 1 4 6 6 4 1 2

Chapter 4 – 6
 x (x-Mx) (x-Mx)2 y (x-My) (y - My)2
5 0 0 8 4 16
7 2 4 1 -3 9
5 0 0 4 0 0
3 -2 4 6 2 4
5 0 0 6 2 4
3 -2 4 4 0 0
3 -2 4 1 -9 9
9 4 16 2 -2 4
S(x-Mx)2 S(y-My)2
Sx=40 Sy=32
=32 =46
Mx=5 My=4

Chapter 4 – 7
Solve for t:

*(according to the t sig/probability

table with df = 14, t must be at least 2.145
to reach p < .05, so this difference
is not statistically significant)
Chapter 4 – 8
QUIZ: Use ½ Yellow Pad

Chapter 4 – 9