Purpose of

statistical analysis

Summarizing
univariate data

Descriptive
statistics
(mean,
standard
deviation,
variance, etc)

Exploring
relationships
between variables

Testing
significance of
differences

Form of data

Number of groups

Frequencies

Measurements

One: mean
compared to
a specified
value

Number of
variables

Number of
variables

One-sample
t-test

One: compared to
theoretical
distribution

Two: tested for

association

Two: degree of
relationship

Chi-square
goodness-of-fit
test

Chi-square test for

association

Level of
measurement

Ordinal
Spearman's
rho

Two

Independent
samples

Related
samples

Form of
data

Form of data

Multiple: effect
of 2+ predictors
on a dependant
variable

Multiple
regression

Multiple

Ordinal

Interval

Mann-Whitney
U test

Independentsamples t-test

Ordinal

Independent
samples

One
independent
variable

Multiple
independent
variables

One-way
ANOVA

Multifactorial
ANOVA

Related
samples

Repeatedmeasures
ANOVA

Interval

Interval
Pearson's
correlation
cooeficient

Wilcoxon
matchedpairs test

Figure 9. Choosing an appropriate statistical procedure

Pairedsamples
t-test

Source: Corston and Colman (2000)

One
DV

Freq, %,
Goodness-of-fit x

Two
DVs

Freq, %,
Contingency table,
Test of association. x

Categorical or Ordinal

Continuous

Type of
Dependent
Variable

One
Relationships

Ranks
Multiple

Interval
or Ratio

Multiple
Regression

Independent

Type of
question
Two

Form of
relationship

Linear
Regression

Spearman's rs

Independentsamples
t test
Mann-Whitney
U

Relation
between
groups
Dependent

Differences

Product-moment
correlation r

Primary
interest

IV LOM

Number
of predictors

Degree of
relationship

Number
of groups

Pairedsamples
t test
Wilcoxon

One-way
ANOVA
One

Independent

Multiple

Relation
between
groups

Multiple

Dependent
Adapted by James Neill, 2008, from: Howell, D. C. (2008). Fundamental statistics
for the behavioral sciences (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth (back inside cover).

KruskalWallis

Number of IVs

Repeated
measures
ANOVA
Friedman

Factorial
ANOVA