When asked to explain the meaning of “statistically significant at the = 0.05 le
ID: 3389137 • Letter: W
Question
When asked to explain the meaning of “statistically significant at the = 0.05 level,” a student says: “This means that the probability that the null hypothesis is true is less than 0.05."
Which one of these statements most correctly describes the student’s statement?
Question 4 options:
The student is correct because 5% is the most common value we compare p-values to.
The student is correct because represents the probability that a hypothesis is correct.
The student is incorrect since “statistically significant at the = 0.05 level” really means that if H0 were true, we would have observed outcomes that occur less than 5% of the time.
The student is incorrect. His/her answer should have been “This means that the probability that the null hypothesis is true is equal to 0.05”
a)The student is correct because 5% is the most common value we compare p-values to.
b)The student is correct because represents the probability that a hypothesis is correct.
c)The student is incorrect since “statistically significant at the = 0.05 level” really means that if H0 were true, we would have observed outcomes that occur less than 5% of the time.
d)The student is incorrect. His/her answer should have been “This means that the probability that the null hypothesis is true is equal to 0.05”
Explanation / Answer
(C) is correct, rest are wrong. This can be rephrased as:
The student is incorrect since “statistically significant at the = 0.05 level” really means that if H0 were true, then probabiltiy of observing atleast as extreme sample as we did in current sample would be less than 0.05.