Hypothesis Testing with One Sample

Summary :

This chapter uses the example of testing a dog breeder's claim about the number of spots on a Dalmatian to teach hypothesis testing with a single sample. It covers differentiating Type I and Type II errors, describing hypothesis testing in general and in practice, and conducting tests for a population mean and a population proportion.

Making a decision about a claim

The chapter frames hypothesis testing as a way to make a decision about a parameter rather than simply estimate it, illustrated with a car dealer's advertised claim or a dog breeder's claim about spot counts, teaching students to describe hypothesis testing in general and in practice as a structured way of evaluating such claims against sample evidence.

Type I and Type II errors

Students learn to differentiate between a Type I error, incorrectly rejecting a true claim, and a Type II error, failing to reject a false claim, a distinction the chapter treats as central to understanding what a hypothesis test's conclusion does and does not guarantee.

Testing means and proportions

The chapter covers conducting and interpreting hypothesis tests for a single population mean, both when the population standard deviation is known and when it is unknown, as well as for a single population proportion, giving students the complete one-sample toolkit before extending it to two samples in the next chapter.