Sign test - overview
This page offers structured overviews of one or more selected methods. Add additional methods for comparisons (max. of 3) by clicking on the dropdown button in the right-hand column. To practice with a specific method click the button at the bottom row of the table
Sign test | Pearson correlation | Binomial test for a single proportion | Paired sample $t$ test |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Independent variable | Variable 1 | Independent variable | Independent variable | |
2 paired groups | One quantitative of interval or ratio level | None | 2 paired groups | |
Dependent variable | Variable 2 | Dependent variable | Dependent variable | |
One of ordinal level | One quantitative of interval or ratio level | One categorical with 2 independent groups | One quantitative of interval or ratio level | |
Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | |
| H0: $\rho = \rho_0$
Here $\rho$ is the Pearson correlation in the population, and $\rho_0$ is the Pearson correlation in the population according to the null hypothesis (usually 0). The Pearson correlation is a measure for the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two variables of at least interval measurement level. | H0: $\pi = \pi_0$
Here $\pi$ is the population proportion of 'successes', and $\pi_0$ is the population proportion of successes according to the null hypothesis. | H0: $\mu = \mu_0$
Here $\mu$ is the population mean of the difference scores, and $\mu_0$ is the population mean of the difference scores according to the null hypothesis, which is usually 0. A difference score is the difference between the first score of a pair and the second score of a pair. | |
Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | |
| H1 two sided: $\rho \neq \rho_0$ H1 right sided: $\rho > \rho_0$ H1 left sided: $\rho < \rho_0$ | H1 two sided: $\pi \neq \pi_0$ H1 right sided: $\pi > \pi_0$ H1 left sided: $\pi < \pi_0$ | H1 two sided: $\mu \neq \mu_0$ H1 right sided: $\mu > \mu_0$ H1 left sided: $\mu < \mu_0$ | |
Assumptions | Assumptions of test for correlation | Assumptions | Assumptions | |
|
|
|
| |
Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | |
$W = $ number of difference scores that is larger than 0 | Test statistic for testing H0: $\rho = 0$:
| $X$ = number of successes in the sample | $t = \dfrac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{s / \sqrt{N}}$
Here $\bar{y}$ is the sample mean of the difference scores, $\mu_0$ is the population mean of the difference scores according to the null hypothesis, $s$ is the sample standard deviation of the difference scores, and $N$ is the sample size (number of difference scores). The denominator $s / \sqrt{N}$ is the standard error of the sampling distribution of $\bar{y}$. The $t$ value indicates how many standard errors $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0$. | |
Sampling distribution of $W$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $t$ and of $z$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $X$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $t$ if H0 were true | |
The exact distribution of $W$ under the null hypothesis is the Binomial($n$, $P$) distribution, with $n =$ number of positive differences $+$ number of negative differences, and $P = 0.5$.
If $n$ is large, $W$ is approximately normally distributed under the null hypothesis, with mean $nP = n \times 0.5$ and standard deviation $\sqrt{nP(1-P)} = \sqrt{n \times 0.5(1 - 0.5)}$. Hence, if $n$ is large, the standardized test statistic $$z = \frac{W - n \times 0.5}{\sqrt{n \times 0.5(1 - 0.5)}}$$ follows approximately the standard normal distribution if the null hypothesis were true. | Sampling distribution of $t$:
| Binomial($n$, $P$) distribution.
Here $n = N$ (total sample size), and $P = \pi_0$ (population proportion according to the null hypothesis). | $t$ distribution with $N - 1$ degrees of freedom | |
Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | |
If $n$ is small, the table for the binomial distribution should be used: Two sided:
If $n$ is large, the table for standard normal probabilities can be used: Two sided:
| $t$ Test two sided:
| Two sided:
| Two sided:
| |
n.a. | Approximate $C$% confidence interval for $\rho$ | n.a. | $C\%$ confidence interval for $\mu$ | |
- | First compute the approximate $C$% confidence interval for $\rho_{Fisher}$:
Then transform back to get the approximate $C$% confidence interval for $\rho$:
| - | $\bar{y} \pm t^* \times \dfrac{s}{\sqrt{N}}$
where the critical value $t^*$ is the value under the $t_{N-1}$ distribution with the area $C / 100$ between $-t^*$ and $t^*$ (e.g. $t^*$ = 2.086 for a 95% confidence interval when df = 20). The confidence interval for $\mu$ can also be used as significance test. | |
n.a. | Properties of the Pearson correlation coefficient | n.a. | Effect size | |
- |
| - | Cohen's $d$: Standardized difference between the sample mean of the difference scores and $\mu_0$: $$d = \frac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{s}$$ Cohen's $d$ indicates how many standard deviations $s$ the sample mean of the difference scores $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0.$ | |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | Visual representation | |
- | - | - | ||
Equivalent to | Equivalent to | n.a. | Equivalent to | |
Two sided sign test is equivalent to
| OLS regression with one independent variable:
| - |
| |
Example context | Example context | Example context | Example context | |
Do people tend to score higher on mental health after a mindfulness course? | Is there a linear relationship between physical health and mental health? | Is the proportion of smokers amongst office workers different from $\pi_0 = 0.2$? | Is the average difference between the mental health scores before and after an intervention different from $\mu_0 = 0$? | |
SPSS | SPSS | SPSS | SPSS | |
Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > 2 Related Samples...
| Analyze > Correlate > Bivariate...
| Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > Binomial...
| Analyze > Compare Means > Paired-Samples T Test...
| |
Jamovi | Jamovi | Jamovi | Jamovi | |
Jamovi does not have a specific option for the sign test. However, you can do the Friedman test instead. The $p$ value resulting from this Friedman test is equivalent to the two sided $p$ value that would have resulted from the sign test. Go to:
ANOVA > Repeated Measures ANOVA - Friedman
| Regression > Correlation Matrix
| Frequencies > 2 Outcomes - Binomial test
| T-Tests > Paired Samples T-Test
| |
Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | |