Statistics Decision Tree

(What test do I need?)

Relationships What kind of test?

between variables Comparing Means
(Comparisons between groups)

What kind of variables? What is being compared?

Sample mean to
Sample mean to sample mean
population mean
Nominal/
Ordinal
Scale (Interval or
Ratio)
How many means?

2
How many
Variables?
3 or more

Are the samples

independent?

1 2 or more Prediction

No Yes

ANOVA
(see ANOVA
Chi Square Paired-samples Independent flow chart)
Chi Square Test of Correlation Regression 1-sample t-test
Goodness of Fit t-test samples t-test or
Independence
1-way ANOVA
 Statistics Decision Tree For ANOVA
(What kind of ANOVA do I need?)

1 Number of factors? 2 or more

Is the factor Are the factors

1. between subjects? Is there a covariate?

1. All between?
2. within subjects? 2. All within?
3. A mix of between
No and within?

Between Within Yes

Between Within Mixed

1-way ANOVA Repeated

measures
ANOVA
ANCOVA Factorial repeated
measures ANOVA

Mixed Design
N-way ANOVA ANOVA

Specific means are compared using planned comparisons and/or post-hoc tests
 Do I put a ‘0’ to the LEFT of the decimal point
YES NO
Number varies between 0 - ∞ Number varies between 0 and 1
Means, SD, variance, range, max, p, r, r2, eta, sphericity
min, IQR, t, F, X2
 SOME GENERAL TIPS
1. The FIRST thing you need to do is look at your variables!
a. How many? What are their scales? For nominal/ordinal variables: how many levels?
2. If ALL of your variables are scale:
a. Are you looking for a relationship? (If one increases does the other increase?)
i. correlation
b. Are you looking for an average difference (Is one more/greater than the other?)
i. Paired t-test (if only 2 variables)
ii. rmANOVA (if 3 or more variables)
3. If ALL of your variables are nominal/ordinal:
a. Chi Square
i. Goodness of Fit (if one variable, or comparing to known population parameters)
ii. Test of Independence (if 2 or more variables)
4. If you have a mixture of nominal/ordinal/scale variables:
a. Hint: If you have a mixture of nominal/ordinal variable and scale variables, the nominal/ordinal are usually the IVs and the
scale variables are usually the DVs
b. If you only have 1 IV:
i. 2 levels = t-test
ii. 3 or more levels = ANOVA
c. 2 IVs or more:
i. Covariate? -> ANCOVA
ii. Otherwise Factorial ANOVA