Independent Sample t-test: Compares means of two parametric variables that dont match together

Example Compare the parametric variable age between the two groups defined in
the nonparametric variable people who belief and who dont in life after
death
Variable Age: parametric data
Postlife: nonparametric belief in life after death. :!es" #:no.
We split the Postlife variable into two groups, yes group and no group
Using these two groups, we want to perform an independent t-test between
the two groups on the age variable and see if the mean age is statistically
different.
$!pothesis !: "here is no difference in age between people who believe and who do
not believe in an afterlife.
#: People who believe in the afterlife are older than those who do not.
SPSS #naly$e Compare %eans &ndependent-'ample " "est
%ove age to "est (ariables )o*
%ove postlife into grouping variable define groups group+,+, group-,-
%ro&p
Statistic
%ean for yes
group,.... and mean
for no group,./.0
Paired
'ample
"est
&f f1.23 use +
st
line
&f p4.23 use -
nd
line.
5e6ect o. 78ivide
sig9- if one tailed is
needed:
#ge of people who believe in life after death is slightly lower 7%,....3 years: than
those who did not 7%,./.0. years:, t7.+;:,--.2<+, p,.2+0 7we can truncate df:
=otice difference is statistically significant even though it is not important only - years
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#=!(#: Compares mean of parametric variable for different gro&ps of a nonparametric variables
Simple A'(VA: means of different groups are different, but does not say
how different
)wo-*a! A'(VA: "wo independent variables or more #=!(#'.
+etween S&b,ects: &f levels are different between participants. >or
e*ample different drug doses
*ithin S&b,ects: &f the levels vary for each participant, she9she
e*periences two or more levels
-r&s.al-*allis
compare mean of nonparametric variable for different groups of a nonparametric
variable
Example Compare means of age for each of the different ; groups depending on
party
Variable Parametric dependent variable /livecom0: number of years lived in a
community
nonparametric Independent variable /part!id0 person political party 72
strong democrat? + not strong democrat? - independent, near dem? @
independent? . independent, near rep? 3 not strong republican? / strong
republican:.
$!pothesis !: "here is no difference in number of years a person lives according to
political party
#: People who are democratic live longer
SPSS #naly$e Compare %eans !ne Way #=!(#
%ove livecom+ to dependent list
%ove partyid to factor field
Post oc %ultiple Comparisons )onferroni
!ptions %eans plot 8escriptive
1escriptive
%ean for independent
is smallest and
highest for strong
democrats
#=!(# 'ig. is .22. there is
at least one
difference in the
means. We need to
checA this difference
in the Post ocs
"ests.
2
%ultiple
Comparisons
%ean of strong
democrats is /.++/
more than mean of
independent 7live
longer:
%eans
Plot
%ean number of years
of strong democrats
and republicans is
noticeably higher
than independents.
"here is a significant difference in length of residence among groups of different
political affiliation, >
/, +-0.
, @.+<;, p 4 .22..
#lso, we should report our Post oc "ests to e*plain what means were e*actly
significant.
BUsing a )onferroni post-hoc test 7p 4.23:, the group of 'trong 8emocrats 7% , +<.33
years: and 'trong 5epublicans 7% , +<.-. years: lived longer in their neighborhoods than
&ndependents 7% , +@..@ years:.
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