The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test – An Introduction to Nonparametrics –: – With Comments on the R Program wilcox.test – - Couverture souple

Ruland, Frederick

 
9781728873251: The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test – An Introduction to Nonparametrics –: – With Comments on the R Program wilcox.test –

Synopsis

In most introductory statistics books there is a chapter in the back that deals with a few nonparametric tests. Perhaps two pages are devoted to the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test (or its equivalent the Mann-Whitney U Test). The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test addresses a specific niche involving two groups of relatively small sample size. Some may disagree with this niche characterization, but with qualifications, I believe it to be true. One of the strengths of this test is in small scale experimental testing. Small scale, in this context, refers to the number of observations. Examples might include test crashing new automobiles, medical studies of rare diseases, and small pilot studies; in effect, any situation where resources of one kind or another limit the number of observations. An advantage of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test is that you don’t need to accept or confirm many of the assumptions required by other approaches. The measurements only need to be on an ordinal scale, as opposed to requiring ratio or interval level measurements.The book covers the mechanics of doing the test. The strengths and weaknesses are discussed, and the use of different style probability tables is explained. Perhaps on a more practical note, the book discusses the R procedure ‘wilcox.test’ and reviews some of its options. (The book also shows how to invent a ‘desert island’ version of the test – just in case.)In learning different statistical tests, it helps to get a good hold on at least one. After that, you have a reference to compare with other procedures. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test – which can be conducted on the proverbial table napkin – can provide an introduction to a whole family of useful tests.

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