t test

any of a class of statistical tests based on the fact that the test statistic follows the t distribution when the null hypothesis is true. Most t tests deal with hypotheses about the mean of a population or about differences between means of different populations, where those populations show normal distributions and the variances are unknown and need to be estimated. The test can be used with independent groups (e.g., test scores of those who were given training vs. a control group without training) or dependent groups (e.g., test scores before vs. after training). Also called Student’s t test.

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

March 16th 2025

adultomorphism

1. the attribution of adult traits or motives to children. Compare pedomorphism.

2. more specifically, the tendency to reconstruct developmental phases by extrapolating from adult psychopathology. —adultomorphic adj.