Mann–Whitney U test

a nonparametric test of centrality for ordinal data that contrasts scores from two independent samples to assess whether there are significant differences between the two sets of rankings. The statistic obtained from this test, U, is calculated by summing the number of ranks in one group that are smaller than each of the ranks in the other group. A Mann–Whitney U test is analogous to a one-way analysis of variance, except that the former is conducted with ranked data and the latter is conducted with continuous data. See also Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test. [Henry Berthold Mann (1905–2000), Austrian-born U.S. mathematician; Donald Ransom Whitney (1915–2001), U.S. statistician]

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

July 27th 2024

Delphi technique

a method of developing and improving group consensus by eliminating the effects of personal relationships and dominating personalities. Conflict is managed by circulating a questionnaire, which is edited and summarized on the basis of the last round of comments and then reissued for further response by those participating in the survey. The Delphi technique is used in many situations where convergence of opinion is desirable (e.g., for defining goals, setting standards, or identifying and ranking needs and priorities).