Analysis of Two-factor Designs (4 of 5)

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Probability Values
To compute a probability value for an F ratio, you must know the degrees of freedom for the F ratio. The degrees of freedom numerator is equal to the degrees of freedom for the effect. The degrees of freedom denominator is equal to the degrees of freedom error. Therefore, the degrees of freedom for the F ratio for the main effect of task are 1 and 42, the degrees of freedom for the F ratio for the main effect of drug dosage are 2 and 42, and the degrees of freedom for the F for the Task x Dosage interaction are 2 and 42.

An F distribution calculator can be used to find the probability values. For the interaction, the probability value associated with an F of 5.783 with 2 and 42 df is 0.006.

Drawing Conclusions
When a main effect is significant, the null hypothesis that there is no main effect in the population can be rejected. In this example, the effect of task was significant. Therefore it can be concluded that, in the population, the mean time to complete the complex task is greater than the mean time to complete the simple task (hardly surprising). The effect of dosage was not significant. Therefore, there is no convincing evidence that the mean time to complete a task (in the population) is different for the three dosage levels.