Updating the Debate on One- versus Two-Tailed Tests with the Directional Two-Tailed Test
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13654561 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Les Leventhal (University of Manitoba, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 84 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 707-718 |
| Publication date | 1999-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.1999.84.3.707 |
| OpenAlex | W2019807252 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 29 |
For half a century, methodologists have debated when to use one-and two-tailed tests. But they conducted the debate with scarcely a mention of the little known directional two-tailed test—the only hypothesis test that, properly used, provides for a decision in either direction. In contrast, the traditional two-tailed test assesses nondirectional statistical hypotheses and does not provide for a directional decision. A directional two-tailed test with unequal rejection regions can have virtually the same power as a one-tailed test and, unlike one-tailed tests, it provides for deciding in the unpredicted direction. However, a problem unresolved for one-tailed tests remains for the directional two-tailed test, namely, whether one should create unequal rejection regions just because one has grounds to predict an outcome's direction. Nevertheless, the directional two-tailed test will satisfy research needs much more frequently than will traditional tests and should be adopted as the primary, general-purpose hypothesis test
Cognitive psychology · Contrast (vision · Econometrics · Mathematical economics · Outcome (game theory · Statistical hypothesis testing · Statistics · Test (biology · Advanced Statistical Methods and Models · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Mathematics · Psychology · Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods · Spectroscopy and Chemometric Analyses
Fundamental statistics in psychology and education.
Using confidence intervals in within-subject designs
On Splitting the Tails Unequally
Further remarks on one-tailed tests
A rejoinder on one-tailed tests
Directional statistical hypotheses and comparisons among means
A brief note on one-tailed tests
The Procedures and Justification of a Two-Tailed Directional Test of Significance
One-and-a-Half-Tailed” Tests of Significance
Basic Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
One- Versus Two-Tailed Hypothesis Tests in Contemporary Educational Research
Serendipity Tails
The test of significance in psychological research
Three criteria for the use of one-tailed tests
Test of hypotheses
Significance test or effect size
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,11 |
| Citation span | 1999 - 2015 (17) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |