Which Statistical Test is Best to Use

ACPM Podcast

Today, we talked about the importance of understanding which statistical test to use for your research based on your variables. Anova and the student's t test both test for means, but Anova is better for more than two populations and categories, while the student's t test is better for dichotomous or binary variables. It all depends on your research question and variables. Cross-sectional studies are a type of observational study design where a researcher collects data on different variables of interest in a sample population at one point in time. These studies provide information on the prevalence and relative prevalence of variables in a population, and can be used to infer associations between variables. The strengths of this design include its efficiency and ability to generate hypotheses, but weaknesses include potential for effect cause and limited information. Cross-sectional studies are similar to cohort studies in that they both draw from a single target.