The behavioral sciences typically use alpha of 0.05.How do they represent this value and what does it mean?
A) A p value, which means scores in the most extreme 2.5 percent on either end of the distribution, will be evidence to reject the null hypothesis.
B) A p value, which means scores 5 percent on either side of the mean, will be evidence to reject the null hypothesis.
C) A z statistic, which means scores in the most extreme 2.5 percent on either end of the distribution, will be evidence to reject the null hypothesis.
D) A z statistic, which means scores 5 percent on either side of the mean, will be evidence to reject the null hypothesis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An alpha of 0.05 is a p-value threshold indicating that if the probability of observing the data, or something more extreme, given that the null hypothesis is true, is less than 5%, the null hypothesis can be rejected. This does not specifically refer to the percentage of scores on either side of the mean but rather to the overall probability of observing the data under the null hypothesis.

The Behavioral Sciences Typically Use Alpha of 0