Paired t Test & Wilcoxon Test

To compare pretest
Pretest Posttest
to posttest for
continuous variables,
run a Paired t Test Anne Anne
or Wilcoxon Test.
Brad Brad
Chris Chris
Dean Dean

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 Paired t Test
• The paired t test uses 1 group, and 1
test / metric, administered before and
after the treatment
• This is referred to as a pretest /
posttest design
• Also know as O X O or O1 X O2 design
O = Observation (test data gathered)
X = Treatment / intervention

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 Paired t Test
• The paired t test compares the mean
from the pretest to the mean from
the posttest to detect if there is a
statistically significant difference
(change from pretest to posttest)
• If p < .05, this suggests that
treatment was effective (in changing
the posttest mean score)

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 Paired t Test
• Participant’s ID (name) is included on
the pretest and posttest instruments,
so that data can be matched (two
scores for each person)

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest / posttest design

Pretest Posttest
Treatment
 = 88.31  = 86.56

p = .011
The posttest ( = 86.56) is statistically
significantly lower than the pretest ( = 88.31)
(p = .011), suggesting that the treatment was
effective in lowering stress.
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 Paired t Test
• Pretest / posttest design

Pretest Posttest
Treatment
 = 88.31  = 87.83

p = .396
The posttest ( = 87.83) is not statistically
significantly lower than the pretest ( = 88.31)
(p = .396), suggesting that the treatment was
not effective in lowering stress.
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 Paired t Test
• Example
– A researcher wants to determine the
effectiveness of using certified therapy
dogs as a treatment to reduce stress

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 Paired t Test
• Example
1. Pretest: Ten minutes after seating
the participant, the researcher
records the resting pulse rate
(in beats per minute)
2. Treatment: The participant receives
30 minutes of pet therapy
3. Posttest: The researcher records
participant’s pulse rate

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 Paired t Test
• Hypotheses
– H0: Pet therapy has no effect on the
pulse rate of stressed people

– H1: Pet therapy reduces the pulse rate

of stressed people

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
 Normality of differences*
*Check before paired t test run

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• The differences between each pretest score
and posttest score must be normally
distributed
1. Compute diff variable
diff = posttest - pretest
2. Order a Histogram with normal curve for diff
3. Inspect diff histogram for normal distribution

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Click Transform, Compute Variable

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• In Target Variable, enter diff
• In Numeric Expression enter
posttest - pretest
• Click OK

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Observe the (new) diff variable

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Run a histogram with normal curve for diff
• Click Analyze, Descriptive Statistics,
Frequencies

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Move diff to Variable(s)
• Click Charts

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Select Histogram with normal curve
• Click Continue

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Click OK

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 Paired t Test
• Pretest checklist
– Normality of differences
• Observe the diff histogram for normality

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 Paired t Test
• Test run
– Click Analyze, Compare Means,
Paired-Samples T Test

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 Paired t Test
• Test run
– Move pretest under Variable1
– Move posttest under Variable2

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 Paired t Test
• Test run
– Click OK

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 Paired t Test
• Results
– (pretest) = 88.31
– (posttest) = 86.56
– p = .011

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 Paired t Test
• Hypothesis resolution
– Since p < .05, this indicates a
statistically significant difference
between the mean pulse rates before
and after pet therapy

Groups p
μ(pretest) = 88.31 : μ(posttest) = 86.56 .011*

*p < .05  statistically significant difference

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 Paired t Test
• Hypothesis resolution

REJECT H0: Pet therapy has no effect on the

pulse rate of stressed people

ACCEPT H1: Pet therapy reduces the pulse rate

of stressed people

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 Paired t Test
• Documenting results
To determine the effectiveness of pet
therapy for reducing stress, we tested 64
stressed people and provided a 30-minute
session with a certified therapy dog.
We compared each person’s resting
pulse rate before ( = 88.31 (SD = 5.0)) and
after ( = 86.56 (SD = 6.6)) each session.
The mean reduction of 1.75 beats per minute
was found to be a statistically significant
decrease (p = .011,  = .05).

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 Paired t Test
• Δ% Formula
– In addition to discussing the outcome
as a 1.75 reduction from 88.31 to
86.56, it can be expressed as a
percentage change
– Δ% (delta %) indicates the percentage
of difference (change) between two
numbers

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 Paired t Test
• Δ% Formula
– The Old value (pretest) = 88.31
– The New value (posttest) = 86.56

Δ% Formula
Δ% = (New - Old)  Old x 100
Δ% = (86.56 - 88.31)  88.31 x 100
Δ% = (-1.75)  88.31 x 100
Δ% = -.0198 x 100
Δ% = -1.98

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 Paired t Test
• Δ% Formula
A negative Δ% signifies a decrease
A positive Δ% signifies an increase

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 Paired t Test
• Δ% Formula
– Documenting results:

…we detected a 1.98% decrease in the

mean pulse rate among participants after
30 minutes of pet therapy.

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 Wilcoxon Test
• The Wilcoxon Test is alternative to
the Paired t Test test
• The Wilcoxon Test is used when at
least one group has a substantial
departure from the normal
distribution criteria (reflected in diff)

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 Wilcoxon Test

Normal

Skewed Bimodal Flat

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 Wilcoxon Test
• Test run
– Click on Analyze, Nonparametric Tests,
Legacy Dialogs, 2 Related Samples

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 Wilcoxon Test
• Test run
– Move pretest to Variable1
– Move posttest to Variable2

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 Wilcoxon Test
• Test run
– Click OK

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 Wilcoxon Test
• Results
– The p = .018 (< .05), which indicates
that a statistically significant difference
has been detected between the pretest
and the posttest

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