Chi Square Test: p-value
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Hello there, I have a simple question, yet I don't find the right answers on the MATLAB Documentation Center.
p-value of the test, returned as a scalar value in the range [0,1]. p is the probability of observing a test statistic as extreme as, or more extreme than, the observed value under the null hypothesis. Small values of p cast doubt on the validity of the null hypothesis.
How is the p-value defined? MATLAB seems to have a different definition than the current definitions I know/find on the internet. Thank you so much for any tips! Tanja
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Star Strider
on 11 Jun 2014
The explanation I give for the p value is that it is the probability that the data are explained by a random process rather than your experimental design. The lower the p value, the lower the probability that a random process explains your data.
(A somewhat more precise definition is that the p value is the probability of accepting a false-positive result. It is known as the ‘alpha’ probability, or the probability of a a Type I error.)
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Star Strider
on 13 Jun 2014
My pleasure!
I would start with the Wikipedia article on the p-value. Every statistics book has detailed discussions on it. I also recommend the article on Type I and type II errors to put the p-value in context.
The classic statistics textbook is Snedecor and Cochran, Statistical Methods, that I highly recommend.
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