F ratio

(symbol: F) in an analysis of variance or a multivariate analysis of variance, the amount of explained variance divided by the amount of the error variance; that is, the ratio of between-groups variance to within-group variance. Its value determines whether to accept the null hypothesis stating that there is no difference between the treatment and control conditions, with a large value indicating the presence of a significant effect. Ideally, a researcher prefers to have rather small variation within each group and maximal variation between the groups in order to demonstrate significant group differences. Also called F statistic; F value.

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Psychology term of the day

February 24th 2025

phon

n. see loudness.