Null hypothesis (4 of 4)

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Next section: Steps in hypothesis testing

When a one-tailed test is conducted, the null hypothesis includes the direction of the effect. A one-tailed test of the differences between means might test the null hypothesis that μ₁ - μ ₂ ≥ 0. If M₁ - M₂ were much less than 0 then the null hypothesis would be rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis: μ₁ - μ₂ < 0.

See also: significance test and significance level

Next section: Steps in hypothesis testing