Cochran's Q 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
Cochran's Q test | One sample $z$ test for the mean | $z$ test for the difference between two proportions | Goodness of fit test | McNemar's test |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Independent/grouping variable | Independent variable | Independent/grouping variable | Independent variable | Independent variable | |
One within subject factor ($\geq 2$ related groups) | None | One categorical with 2 independent groups | None | 2 paired groups | |
Dependent variable | Dependent variable | Dependent variable | Dependent variable | Dependent variable | |
One categorical with 2 independent groups | One quantitative of interval or ratio level | One categorical with 2 independent groups | One categorical with $J$ independent groups ($J \geqslant 2$) | One categorical with 2 independent groups | |
Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | Null hypothesis | |
H0: $\pi_1 = \pi_2 = \ldots = \pi_I$
Here $\pi_1$ is the population proportion of 'successes' for group 1, $\pi_2$ is the population proportion of 'successes' for group 2, and $\pi_I$ is the population proportion of 'successes' for group $I.$ | H0: $\mu = \mu_0$
Here $\mu$ is the population mean, and $\mu_0$ is the population mean according to the null hypothesis. | H0: $\pi_1 = \pi_2$
Here $\pi_1$ is the population proportion of 'successes' for group 1, and $\pi_2$ is the population proportion of 'successes' for group 2. |
| Let's say that the scores on the dependent variable are scored 0 and 1. Then for each pair of scores, the data allow four options:
Other formulations of the null hypothesis are:
| |
Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | Alternative hypothesis | |
H1: not all population proportions are equal | H1 two sided: $\mu \neq \mu_0$ H1 right sided: $\mu > \mu_0$ H1 left sided: $\mu < \mu_0$ | H1 two sided: $\pi_1 \neq \pi_2$ H1 right sided: $\pi_1 > \pi_2$ H1 left sided: $\pi_1 < \pi_2$ |
| The alternative hypothesis H1 is that for each pair of scores, P(first score of pair is 0 while second score of pair is 1) $\neq$ P(first score of pair is 1 while second score of pair is 0). That is, the probability that a pair of scores switches from 0 to 1 is not the same as the probability that a pair of scores switches from 1 to 0. Other formulations of the alternative hypothesis are:
| |
Assumptions | Assumptions | Assumptions | Assumptions | Assumptions | |
|
|
|
|
| |
Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | Test statistic | |
If a failure is scored as 0 and a success is scored as 1:
$Q = k(k - 1) \dfrac{\sum_{groups} \Big (\mbox{group total} - \frac{\mbox{grand total}}{k} \Big)^2}{\sum_{blocks} \mbox{block total} \times (k - \mbox{block total})}$ Here $k$ is the number of related groups (usually the number of repeated measurements), a group total is the sum of the scores in a group, a block total is the sum of the scores in a block (usually a subject), and the grand total is the sum of all the scores. Before computing $Q$, first exclude blocks with equal scores in all $k$ groups. | $z = \dfrac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{\sigma / \sqrt{N}}$
Here $\bar{y}$ is the sample mean, $\mu_0$ is the population mean according to the null hypothesis, $\sigma$ is the population standard deviation, and $N$ is the sample size. The denominator $\sigma / \sqrt{N}$ is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution of $\bar{y}$. The $z$ value indicates how many of these standard deviations $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0$. | $z = \dfrac{p_1 - p_2}{\sqrt{p(1 - p)\Bigg(\dfrac{1}{n_1} + \dfrac{1}{n_2}\Bigg)}}$
Here $p_1$ is the sample proportion of successes in group 1: $\dfrac{X_1}{n_1}$, $p_2$ is the sample proportion of successes in group 2: $\dfrac{X_2}{n_2}$, $p$ is the total proportion of successes in the sample: $\dfrac{X_1 + X_2}{n_1 + n_2}$, $n_1$ is the sample size of group 1, and $n_2$ is the sample size of group 2. Note: we could just as well compute $p_2 - p_1$ in the numerator, but then the left sided alternative becomes $\pi_2 < \pi_1$, and the right sided alternative becomes $\pi_2 > \pi_1.$ | $X^2 = \sum{\frac{(\mbox{observed cell count} - \mbox{expected cell count})^2}{\mbox{expected cell count}}}$
Here the expected cell count for one cell = $N \times \pi_j$, the observed cell count is the observed sample count in that same cell, and the sum is over all $J$ cells. | $X^2 = \dfrac{(b - c)^2}{b + c}$
Here $b$ is the number of pairs in the sample for which the first score is 0 while the second score is 1, and $c$ is the number of pairs in the sample for which the first score is 1 while the second score is 0. | |
Sampling distribution of $Q$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $z$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $z$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $X^2$ if H0 were true | Sampling distribution of $X^2$ if H0 were true | |
If the number of blocks (usually the number of subjects) is large, approximately the chi-squared distribution with $k - 1$ degrees of freedom | Standard normal distribution | Approximately the standard normal distribution | Approximately the chi-squared distribution with $J - 1$ degrees of freedom | If $b + c$ is large enough (say, > 20), approximately the chi-squared distribution with 1 degree of freedom. If $b + c$ is small, the Binomial($n$, $P$) distribution should be used, with $n = b + c$ and $P = 0.5$. In that case the test statistic becomes equal to $b$. | |
Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | Significant? | |
If the number of blocks is large, the table with critical $X^2$ values can be used. If we denote $X^2 = Q$:
| Two sided:
| Two sided:
|
| For test statistic $X^2$:
| |
n.a. | $C\%$ confidence interval for $\mu$ | Approximate $C\%$ confidence interval for $\pi_1 - \pi_2$ | n.a. | n.a. | |
- | $\bar{y} \pm z^* \times \dfrac{\sigma}{\sqrt{N}}$
where the critical value $z^*$ is the value under the normal curve with the area $C / 100$ between $-z^*$ and $z^*$ (e.g. $z^*$ = 1.96 for a 95% confidence interval). The confidence interval for $\mu$ can also be used as significance test. | Regular (large sample):
| - | - | |
n.a. | Effect size | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
- | Cohen's $d$: Standardized difference between the sample mean and $\mu_0$: $$d = \frac{\bar{y} - \mu_0}{\sigma}$$ Cohen's $d$ indicates how many standard deviations $\sigma$ the sample mean $\bar{y}$ is removed from $\mu_0.$ | - | - | - | |
n.a. | Visual representation | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | |
- | - | - | - | ||
Equivalent to | n.a. | Equivalent to | n.a. | Equivalent to | |
Friedman test, with a categorical dependent variable consisting of two independent groups. | - | When testing two sided: chi-squared test for the relationship between two categorical variables, where both categorical variables have 2 levels. | - |
| |
Example context | Example context | Example context | Example context | Example context | |
Subjects perform three different tasks, which they can either perform correctly or incorrectly. Is there a difference in task performance between the three different tasks? | Is the average mental health score of office workers different from $\mu_0 = 50$? Assume that the standard deviation of the mental health scores in the population is $\sigma = 3.$ | Is the proportion of smokers different between men and women? Use the normal approximation for the sampling distribution of the test statistic. | Is the proportion of people with a low, moderate, and high social economic status in the population different from $\pi_{low} = 0.2,$ $\pi_{moderate} = 0.6,$ and $\pi_{high} = 0.2$? | Does a tv documentary about spiders change whether people are afraid (yes/no) of spiders? | |
SPSS | n.a. | SPSS | SPSS | SPSS | |
Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > K Related Samples...
| - | SPSS does not have a specific option for the $z$ test for the difference between two proportions. However, you can do the chi-squared test instead. The $p$ value resulting from this chi-squared test is equivalent to the two sided $p$ value that would have resulted from the $z$ test. Go to:
Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Crosstabs...
| Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > Chi-square...
| Analyze > Nonparametric Tests > Legacy Dialogs > 2 Related Samples...
| |
Jamovi | n.a. | Jamovi | Jamovi | Jamovi | |
Jamovi does not have a specific option for the Cochran's Q test. However, you can do the Friedman test instead. The $p$ value resulting from this Friedman test is equivalent to the $p$ value that would have resulted from the Cochran's Q test. Go to:
ANOVA > Repeated Measures ANOVA - Friedman
| - | Jamovi does not have a specific option for the $z$ test for the difference between two proportions. However, you can do the chi-squared test instead. The $p$ value resulting from this chi-squared test is equivalent to the two sided $p$ value that would have resulted from the $z$ test. Go to:
Frequencies > Independent Samples - $\chi^2$ test of association
| Frequencies > N Outcomes - $\chi^2$ Goodness of fit
| Frequencies > Paired Samples - McNemar test
| |
Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | Practice questions | |