In chi-square analysis,the greater the number of cells,the larger the degrees of freedom.The greater the number of cells,the more opportunity exists to calculate a large chi-square value.In other words,the chi-square value can be "inflated" not due to a real association but simply due to the fact that there are more cells in the analysis.This is why degrees of freedom are used to:
A)determine how many cells you should analyze.
B)determine whether or not the computed chi-square value should be used for a post hoc test.
C)determine whether or not the chi-square value has a probability high enough to support,or not support,the null hypothesis.
D)all of the above
E)None of the above;degrees of freedom is not calculated with the chi-square test.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Degrees of freedom are used in chi-square analysis to determine whether or not the chi-square value has a probability high enough to support, or not support, the null hypothesis. This is important because a large chi-square value could be due to chance if there are many cells in the analysis, so degrees of freedom help to ensure that the calculated chi-square value is meaningful and not just inflated by the number of cells. Degrees of freedom are not used to determine how many cells to analyze or whether or not to use the computed chi-square value for a post hoc test.

In Chi-Square Analysis,the Greater the Number of Cells,the Larger the Degrees