Lecture 5

Research Methodology and
Biostatistics
Dr Sidra Younis
Lecture 5
Learning Objectives
1. Homogeneity of variance
2. Independent Sample t-test
3. Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Homogeneity of variance
Assumptions of homogeneity of variance
• The assumption of homogeneity of variance is an assumption of the independent
samples t-test and ANOVA stating that all comparison groups have the same variance.
• The independent samples t-test and ANOVA utilize the t and F statistics respectively.
• Equal group sizes may be defined by the ratio of the largest to smallest group being
less than 1.5.
• If group sizes are vastly unequal and homogeneity of variance is violated, then the F
statistic will be biased
• When a data has large sample variances and small group size. The significance level will be
underestimated, which can cause the null hypothesis to be falsely rejected.
• On the other hand, if a data has large variances are associated with large group sizes. This
would mean that the significance level will be overestimated. This can cause a decrease in the
power of the test.
Independent sample t-test
The Independent-Samples T Test procedure compares means for two
groups of cases.
Example: Patients with high blood pressure are randomly assigned to a

placebo group and a treatment group. The placebo subjects receive an
inactive pill, and the treatment subjects receive a new drug that is
expected to lower blood pressure. After the subjects are treated for
two months, the two-sample t test is used to compare the average
blood pressures for the placebo group and the treatment group. Each
patient is measured once and belongs to one group.
Assumptions
For the equal-variance t test,
the observations should be independent, random samples from normal
distributions with the same population variance.
For the unequal-variance t test,

the observations should be independent, random samples from normal
distributions. The two-sample t test is not very strict about the requirement of
the population to be normally distributed.
Graphically, data should be symmetric and have no outliers.
• Data. The values of the quantitative variable of interest are in a single
column in the data file.
• The procedure uses a grouping variable with two values to separate the
cases into two groups. The grouping variable can be numeric (values
such as 1 and 2 or 6.25 and 12.5) or short string (such as yes and no).
As an alternative, you can use a quantitative variable, such as age, to
split the cases into two groups by specifying a cutpoint (cutpoint 21
splits age into an under-21 group and a 21-and-over group).
T-test in SPSS
• To Obtain an Independent-Samples T Test
• This feature requires Statistics Base Edition.
1.From the menus choose:Analyze > Compare Means > Independent-
Samples T Test...
2.Select one or more quantitative test variables. A separate t test is
computed for each variable.
3.Select a single grouping variable, and then click Define Groups to
specify two codes for the groups that you want to compare.
4.Optionally, click Options to control the treatment of missing data and
the level of the confidence interval.
ANOVA
ANOVA
• ANOVA, which stands for Analysis of Variance, is a statistical test
used to analyze the difference between the means of more than two
groups.
• A one-way ANOVA uses one independent variable and 2 dependant
variables
• While a two-way ANOVA uses two independent variables and 1
dependent variable
Assumptions of ANOVA
• The assumptions of the ANOVA test are the same as the general assumptions for
any parametric test:
1.Independence of observations: the data were collected using statistically valid
sampling methods, and there are no hidden relationships among observations. If
your data fail to meet this assumption because you have a confounding variable
that you need to control for statistically, use an ANOVA with blocking
variables.
2.Normally-distributed response variable: The values of the dependent variable
follow a normal distribution.
3.Homogeneity of variance: The variation within each group being compared is
similar for every group. If the variances are different among the groups, then
ANOVA probably isn’t the right fit for the data.
Null vs Alternative Hypothesis
• Null Hypothesis:
"There is not a significant difference between the groups; any observed differences may
be due to chance and sampling error."
For example: There is no significant difference between the number of birds at the
different locations; the differences we see in the means of the groups may be due to
chance and sampling error.
• Alternative Hypothesis:
"There is a significant difference between the groups; the observed differences are most
likely not due to chance or sampling error."
For example: There is a significant difference between the number of birds at the
different locations; the difference we see in the means of the groups is mostly likely not
due to chance or sampling error.
ANOVA on SPSS
References
• https://psychology.illinoisstate.edu/jccutti/138web/spss/spss10.html
• https://www.scribd.com/document/250559882/Mean-Separation-
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Lecture 5

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Lecture 5

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Research Methodology and

Example: Patients with high blood pressure are randomly assigned to a

For the unequal-variance t test,

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