A group of researchers run a hypothesis test and find a pval

A group of researchers run a hypothesis test and find a p-value of 0.02. What is the definition of a p-value and what does a p-value indicate to you about your test statistic? (2 pts)

Solution

A p-value means only one thing (although it can be phrased in a few different ways), it is: The probability of getting the results you did (or more extreme results) given that the null hypothesis is true.

In technical terms, a P value is the probability of obtaining an effect at least as extreme as the one in your sample data, assuming the truth of the null hypothesis.

For example, suppose that a vaccine study produced a P value of 0.04. This P value indicates that if the vaccine had no effect, you’d obtain the observed difference or more in 4% of studies due to random sampling error.