t-test
Statistics & analysis
Definition
A test comparing means — of two groups (independent-samples), two related measurements (paired-samples) or one sample against a known value (one-sample) — on a continuous outcome.
All three forms share the same logic: how large is the mean difference relative to the variability in the data? The independent form assumes approximate normality per group and (checked via Levene's test) equal variances; SPSS prints a corrected row when variances differ.
Report the t statistic, degrees of freedom, p-value and Cohen's d — a significant t-test with a trivial effect size is a statistically detectable but practically unimportant difference.
Where it's used
- Comparing job satisfaction between two genders
- Before/after comparison of a training intervention
- Testing a sample mean against a scale midpoint or benchmark
Software used
SPSSRPythonJASPjamovi
Related concepts
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