Testing Hypotheses If Data Are Normal
Abstract
Much of what we do in Anthropology is trying to understand variation. At the heart of understanding this variation are two questions – is this group of things the same or different from this other group of things and why? If data are relatively normal, there are an extensive number of methods available to answer the first part of this question, while the second part (the why) will be left up to the researcher to explain. In this chapter, we discuss the use of the t -test and the analysis of variance, their limitations, and how they can be applied to a dataset using R. The results of these tests, and their significance, will also be discussed.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Statistical Methods and Applications
Probability and Statistical Research
Statistics Education and Methodologies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 77–104
- Publication date
- 17 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter