PSYC 3130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Null Hypothesis, Alternative Hypothesis, Thalidomide
13 Apr 2016
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Samples are required because we do not have time to measure everything regarding our question. Population= value representing the whole, which is impractical to determine. The parameter (mew) can be estimated using a statistic (x bar), which is the representation of the sample. It is easier to falsify something than to prove it. Thesis: 2 arms are needed to live. It only takes a single one armed individual to disprove this thesis. All studies begin with a null hypothesis that the researcher will try to overcome. Null hypothesis in criminal cases: criminal is innocent. Example: if individual isn"t innocent, he or she must be guilty. Instead, we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Always use p=0. 001 to refer to an impossibility rather than p=0. 00. You must sample 25-30 people at random to generalize to the real world. Thalidomide is a right and left handed drug, where each hand has differing properties despite same chemical structure.
