Paired sample t test - overview
This page offers structured overviews of one or more selected methods. Add additional methods for comparisons (max. of 3) by clicking on the dropdown button in the right-hand column. To practice with a specific method click the button at the bottom row of the table
Paired sample $t$ test | $z$ test for a single proportion | Chi-squared test for the relationship between two categorical variables |
You cannot compare more than 3 methods |
---|---|---|---|
Independent variable | Independent variable | Independent /column variable | |
2 paired groups | None | One categorical with $I$ independent groups ($I \geqslant 2$) | |
Dependent variable | Dependent variable | Dependent /row variable | |
One quantitative of interval or ratio level | One categorical with 2 independent groups | One categorical with $J$ independent groups ($J \geqslant 2$) | |
Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | |
H0: $\mu = \mu_0$
Here $\mu$ is the population mean of the difference scores, and $\mu_0$ is the population mean of the difference scores according to the null hypothesis, which is usually 0. A difference score is the difference between the first score of a pair and the second score of a pair. | H0: $\pi = \pi_0$
Here $\pi$ is the population proportion of 'successes', and $\pi_0$ is the population proportion of successes according to the null hypothesis. | H0: there is no association between the row and column variable More precisely, if there are $I$ independent random samples of size $n_i$ from each of $I$ populations, defined by the independent variable:
| |
Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | |
H1 two sided: $\mu \neq \mu_0$ H1 right sided: $\mu > \mu_0$ H1 left sided: $\mu < \mu_0$ | H1 two sided: $\pi \neq \pi_0$ H1 right sided: $\pi > \pi_0$ H1 left sided: $\pi < \pi_0$ | H1: there is an association between the row and column variable More precisely, if there are $I$ independent random samples of size $n_i$ from each of $I$ populations, defined by the independent variable:
| |
Assumptions | Assumptions | Assumptions | |
|
|
| |
Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | |
$t = \dfrac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{s / \sqrt{N}}$
Here $\bar{y}$ is the sample mean of the difference scores, $\mu_0$ is the population mean of the difference scores according to the null hypothesis, $s$ is the sample standard deviation of the difference scores, and $N$ is the sample size (number of difference scores). The denominator $s / \sqrt{N}$ is the standard error of the sampling distribution of $\bar{y}$. The $t$ value indicates how many standard errors $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0$. | $z = \dfrac{p - \pi_0}{\sqrt{\dfrac{\pi_0(1 - \pi_0)}{N}}}$
Here $p$ is the sample proportion of successes: $\dfrac{X}{N}$, $N$ is the sample size, and $\pi_0$ is the population proportion of successes according to the null hypothesis. | $X^2 = \sum{\frac{(\mbox{observed cell count} - \mbox{expected cell count})^2}{\mbox{expected cell count}}}$
Here for each cell, the expected cell count = $\dfrac{\mbox{row total} \times \mbox{column total}}{\mbox{total sample size}}$, the observed cell count is the observed sample count in that same cell, and the sum is over all $I \times J$ cells. | |
Sampling distribution of $t$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $z$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $X^2$ if H0 were true | |
$t$ distribution with $N - 1$ degrees of freedom | Approximately the standard normal distribution | Approximately the chi-squared distribution with $(I - 1) \times (J - 1)$ degrees of freedom | |
Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | |
Two sided:
| Two sided:
|
| |
$C\%$ confidence interval for $\mu$ | Approximate $C\%$ confidence interval for $\pi$ | n.a. | |
$\bar{y} \pm t^* \times \dfrac{s}{\sqrt{N}}$
where the critical value $t^*$ is the value under the $t_{N-1}$ distribution with the area $C / 100$ between $-t^*$ and $t^*$ (e.g. $t^*$ = 2.086 for a 95% confidence interval when df = 20). The confidence interval for $\mu$ can also be used as significance test. | Regular (large sample):
| - | |
Effect size | n.a. | n.a. | |
Cohen's $d$: Standardized difference between the sample mean of the difference scores and $\mu_0$: $$d = \frac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{s}$$ Cohen's $d$ indicates how many standard deviations $s$ the sample mean of the difference scores $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0.$ | - | - | |
Visual representation | n.a. | n.a. | |
- | - | ||
Equivalent to | Equivalent to | n.a. | |
|
| - | |
Example context | Example context | Example context | |
Is the average difference between the mental health scores before and after an intervention different from $\mu_0 = 0$? | Is the proportion of smokers amongst office workers different from $\pi_0 = 0.2$? Use the normal approximation for the sampling distribution of the test statistic. | Is there an association between economic class and gender? Is the distribution of economic class different between men and women? | |
SPSS | SPSS | SPSS | |
Analyze > Compare Means > Paired-Samples T Test...
| Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > Binomial...
| Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Crosstabs...
| |
Jamovi | Jamovi | Jamovi | |
T-Tests > Paired Samples T-Test
| Frequencies > 2 Outcomes - Binomial test
| Frequencies > Independent Samples - $\chi^2$ test of association
| |
Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | |