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ERIC Number: EJ1063526
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jul
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1540-4595
EISSN: N/A
A Study of the Statistical Inference Criteria: Can We Agree on When to Use Z versus "t"?
Ozgur, Ceyhun; Strasser, Sandra E.
Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, v2 n2 p177-192 Jul 2004
Authors who write introductory business statistics texts do not agree on when to use a t distribution and when to use a Z distribution in both the construction of confidence intervals and the use of hypothesis testing. In a survey of textbooks written in the last 15 years, we found the decision rules to be contradictory and, at times, the explanations unclear. This paper is an attempt to clarify the decision rules and to recommend that one consistent rule be chosen to minimize confusion to students, instructors, and practitioners. Using the "t" distribution whenever s is unknown, regardless of sample size, seems to provide the best solution both theoretically and practically.
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A