8. Frequentist II: Hypothesis tests

In this session we continue with frequentist inference, exploring the concept of hypothesis testing and p-values. We discuss the general principle underlying a p-value, connections to confidence intervals and common misinterpretations and misuses of p-values.

Intended learning outcomes

By the end of this session you will be able to:

  • describe the meaning of the terms null and alternative hypotheses

  • describe what a p-value is

  • correctly interpret a p-value

  • explain the connection between 95% confidence intervals and p-values

  • describe the calculation of a p-value

This session does not cover the mathematical derivation underlying hypothesis tests and common test statistics. Our intention is not to equip you with the ability to construct novel hypothesis tests. The purpose of this session is rather to convey an understanding of what a hypothesis test is, what a p-value is and how to interpret p-values correctly.