Statistical Tests and When to Use Them
TEST USE
Average The central tendency of the collected data
Standard Deviation A measure that is used to quantify the amount of variation or
dispersion of a set of data values. (How accurately does the mean
represent the data.)
Correlation These test look for an association between variables
Pearson Correlation Tests for the strength of the association between two continuous
variables
Chi-Square Determines whether observed frequencies differ significantly from
expected frequencies
T-Test To compare two means or proportions. Usually with smaller
sample sizes (n<30). Tells you if two averages are different from
each other.
Z-test Compare population means to a sample. Usually with larger
sample sizes (n>30).
ANOVA Used to determine whether there are any statistically significant
(Analysis of Variance) differences between the means of three or more independent
(unrelated) groups
You can use Google Sheets to perform the calculations for you by using the formula function.
Test Google formula
Average =AVERAGE(data range)
Standard Deviation =STDEV(data range)
example =stdev(A2:A50)
Pearson Correlation =CORREL(data range of y, data range of x)
Chi-Square =CHITEST(observed_range, expected_range)
T-Test =T.TEST(range1, range2, tails, type)
Z-test =Z.TEST(data, value, [standard_deviation])
ANOVA to do anova in sheets you must download
(Analysis of Variance) XLMiner Analysis Toolbox
Error bars
Error bars are a graphical representation of the variability of data and are used on graphs to
indicate the error, or uncertainty in a reported measurement. They give a general idea of how
precise a measurement is, or conversely, how far from the reported value the true (error free)
value might be.
The data in
group b is much
more precise.
The data in
group e is more
dispersed.