Non-Parametric Tests

Week 7 & 8

Sumara Masood Ul Hassan, Ph.D.

Department of Behavioral Sciences, S3H,NUST

THIS IS PAKISTAN WITH KNOWLEDGE WE SERVE!

CONTENTS
Mann-Whitney U Test

Mann-Whitney U Test

Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test

Kruskal-Wallis Test

Friedman Test

Chi-square test

• Chi-square test for goodness of fit

• Chi-square test for independence
 Two different types of statistical
technique:
Parametric
WHAT ARE NON- Non-parametric
PARAMETRIC
TESTS What is the difference between
these two sets of techniques?
Why is the distinction
important?
 Cont.…..
The word ‘parametric’ comes from
‘parameter’, or characteristic of a
population. The parametric tests
(e.g. t-tests, analysis of variance)
make assumptions about the
population from which the sample
has been drawn. This often includes
assumptions about the shape of the
population distribution (e.g.
normally distributed).
Non-parametric techniques, on the
other hand, do not have such
stringent requirements and do not
make assumptions about the
underlying population distribution
(which is why they are sometimes
referred to as distribution-free tests).
 Cont.…

Non- • When you have data that are measured on:

parametric • nominal (categorical)
• ordinal (ranked) scales
techniques • They are also useful when you have very
small sample.
are ideal • When data do not meet the stringent
assumptions of the parametric techniques.
for use:
SUMMARY OF TECHNIQUES
COVERED IN THIS LECTURE
NON-PARAMENTRIC PARAMETRIC

Mann-Whitney U Test Independent-samples t-test

Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test Paired-samples t-test
Kruskal-Wallis Test One-way between-groups ANOVA
Friedman Test One-way repeated-measures ANOVA

Chi-square test None

Chi-square test for goodness of fit
Chi-square test for independence
1: MANN-WHITNEY TEST
• The Mann-Whitney U Test is used to test for differences between two
independent groups on a continuous measure.
• Instead of comparing means of the two groups, as in the case of the
t-test, the Mann-Whitney U Test actually compares medians.
• It converts the scores on the continuous variable to ranks across the
two groups. It then evaluates whether the ranks for the two groups
differ significantly. As the scores are converted to ranks, the actual
distribution of the scores does not matter.
 IV: Gender
Develop a
RQ &RH
DV: Level of Self-esteem
 Example of research question:

• Do males and females differ in terms of their

levels of self-esteem?
• Do males have higher levels of self-esteem than
females?

What you need: Two variables:

CONT…. • one categorical variable with two groups (e.g.
sex)
• one continuous variable (e.g. total self-esteem).

Parametric alternative:

• Independent-samples t-test.
Hypothesis testing and decision
on Mann-Whitney test
H0:
1. Gender will have no effect on self-esteem.
H1:
1. Gender will have a significant effect on self-esteem
(two-tailed).
2. Men will have a higher level of self-esteem than women
(one tailed).

Decision Rule:
1. If the p-value of the obtained test statistic is less than
.05, reject the null hypothesis.
How to conduct
Mann-Whitney test
• Analyse-non-parametric tests- Legacy
Dialogs- 2 Independent Samples
• Next: in test variable list add
Dependent variable (continuous- self-
esteem) and in Grouping variable add
Independent variable (define variable)
• Then: Click on Mann-Whitney test
• Then: ok
APA format table of
Mann-Whitney test

Variable n Mean Rank Z p

Males 184 227.14 -1.23 .22

Females 252 212.19

Interpretation of
Mann-Whitney test
• The results of the Mann-Whitney U Test involving gender as the
independent variable and self-esteem as the dependent variable
were statistically non-significant, z = –1.23, p=,22. The probability
value (p) is not less than or equal to .05, so the result is not
significant. There is no statistically significant difference in the self-
esteem scores of males and females.

• A Mann-Whitney U Test revealed no significant difference in the

self-esteem levels of males (Md = 35, n =184) and females (Md =
34.5, n = 252), U = 21594, z = –1.23, p = .22.
2: WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST
• The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test (also referred to as the Wilcoxon
matched pairs signed ranks test) is designed for use with
repeated measures; that is, when your participants are
measured on two occasions, or under two different conditions.
• It is the nonparametric alternative to the repeated measures t-
test, but instead of comparing means the Wilcoxon converts
scores to ranks and compares them at Time 1 and at Time 2.
• The Wilcoxon can also be used in situations involving a matched
subject design, where participants are matched on specific
criteria.
Develop a Fear of statistics on
RQ &RH Time 1 & Time 2
Cont.….
• Example of research question:
• Is there a change in the scores on the Fear of Statistics Test from Time 1 to
Time 2?
• What you need:
• One group of participants measured on the same continuous scale or
measured on two different occasions.
• The variables involved are scores at Time 1 or Condition 1, and scores at
Time 2 or Condition 2.
• Parametric alternative:
• Paired samples t-test.
Hypothesis testing and decision on
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test
H0:
1. There is no change in the scores on the Fear of Statistics
Test from Time 1 to Time.
H1:
1. There is a significant change in the scores on the Fear of
Statistics Test from Time 1 to Time.

Decision Rule:
1. If the p-value of the obtained test statistic is less than
.05, reject the null hypothesis.
How to conduct
WILCOXON SIGNED RANK TEST
• Analyse-non-parametric tests- Legacy Dialogs- 2
Related Samples
• Next: Click on the variables that represent the scores
at Time 1 and at Time 2 (e.g. fear of stats time1:
fost1, fear of stats time2: fost2). Click on the arrow to
move these into the Test Pairs box
• Make sure that the Wilcoxon box is ticked in the Test
Type section.
• Then: Click on the Options button. Choose Quartiles
(this will provide the median scores for each time
point).
• Click on Continue and then on OK (or on Paste to save
to Syntax Editor).
APA format table of
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test

Variable n Median Z p
Pre-test 30 40.00 –4.18 .000

Post-test 30 38.00
Interpretation of
Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test
• A Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test revealed a statistically significant
reduction in fear of statistics following participation in the training
program, z = –4.18, p < .001. The median score on the Fear of
Statistics Scale decreased from pre-program (Md = 40) to post-
program (Md = 38).
3: KRUSKAL-WALLIS TEST
• The Kruskal-Wallis Test (sometimes referred to as the Kruskal-
Wallis H Test) is the non-parametric.
• It allows you to compare the scores on some continuous
variable for three or more groups.
• It is similar in nature to the Mann-Whitney U Test presented
earlier in this chapter, but it allows you to compare more than
just two groups.
• Scores are converted to ranks and the mean rank for each
group is compared. This is a ‘between groups’ analysis, so
different people must be in each of the different groups.
Cont.…..
• Example of research question:
• Is there a difference in optimism across three age levels?
• What you need: Two variables:
• one categorical independent variable with three or more categories
(e.g. agegp3: 18–29, 30–44, 45+)
• one continuous dependent variable (e.g. total optimism)
• Parametric alternative:
• One-way between-groups analysis of variance.
Hypothesis testing and decision on
Kruskal-Wallis Test
H0:
1. There is no difference in optimism across three age
levels.
H1:
1. Different age groups differ significantly on optimisms.

Decision Rule:
1. If the p-value of the obtained test statistic is less than
.05, reject the null hypothesis.
How to conduct
Kruskal-Wallis Test
You will also need to obtain the median optimism values
for each age group. Follow the same procedure for
obtaining median values as described in the Mann-
Whitney U Test section.
APA format table of
Kruskal-Wallis Test

Variable n Median Chi-square p

<=29 147 22.00 8.57 .014*

30-44 153 22.00

45 & + 135 23.00

Interpretation of
Kruskal-Wallis Test
• A Kruskal-Wallis Test revealed a statistically significant difference in
optimism across three different age groups (Gp1, n = 147: 18–
29yrs, Gp2, n = 153: 30–44yrs, Gp3, n = 135: 45+yrs), χ2 (2, n = 435)
= 8.57, p = .014. The older age group (45+ yrs) recorded a higher
median score (Md = 23) than the other two age groups, which both
recorded median values of 22.
4: FRIEDMAN TEST
• The Friedman Test is the non-parametric alternative to the one-way
repeated measures analysis of variance. It is used when you take the
same sample of participants or cases and you measure them at
three or more points in time, or under three different conditions.
• Example of research question:
• Is there a change in Fear of Statistics Test scores across three time periods
(pre-intervention, post-intervention and at follow-up)?
• What you need:
• One sample of participants, measured on the same scale or measured at
three different time periods, or under three different conditions.
• Parametric alternative:
• Repeated measures (within-subjects) analysis of variance.
Hypothesis testing and decision on
Friedman Test
H0:
1. There is no change in the scores on the Fear of Statistics from
three time periods (pre-intervention, post-intervention and at
follow-up).
H1:
1. There is a significant change in the scores on the Fear of
Statistics Test from three time periods (pre-intervention,
post-intervention and at follow-up).

Decision Rule:
1. If the p-value of the obtained test statistic is less than .05,
reject the null hypothesis.
How to conduct
Friedman Test
APA format table of
Friedman Test

• Get help from internet/lecture and create APA

format table of Friedman Test.
Interpretation of
Friedman Test
• The results of the Friedman Test indicated that there was a
statistically significant difference in Fear of Statistics Test scores
across the three time points (preintervention, post-intervention, 3-
mth follow-up χ2 (2, n = 30) = 41.57, p < .05). Inspection of the
median values showed a decrease in fear of statistics from
preintervention (Md = 40) to post-intervention (Md = 38) and a
further decrease at follow-up (Md = 35.5).
Activity
1. Using the experim.sav data file compare the depression
scores for the three time periods involved in the study
(before the intervention, after the intervention and at the
three-month follow up). The variables you will need are
depress1, depress2 and depress3.
2. Using the survey.sav data file find out whether smokers are significantly
more stressed than non-smokers. The variables you will need are smoke
and total perceived stress (tpstress).
3. Using the experim.sav data file compare the depression scores at time 1
and the depression scores at time 2. Did the intervention result in a
significant change in depression scores? The variables you will need are
depress1 and depress2.
4. Using the survey.sav data file compare the self-esteem scores across the
three different age groups (18-29yrs, 30-44yrs, 45+yrs). The variables
you will need are tslfest and agegp3.