Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Establishment of Rat Models Mimicking Gender-affirming Hormone Therapies
Published on: January 10, 2025
[The enormous difference between not rejecting a null hypothesis and stating that it is true]
C Carazo-Díaz1,2, L Prieto-Valiente1,2
1Universidad Católica de Murcia, Murcia, España.
Abstract:
Assuming that a hypothesis is true because insufficient evidence has been found to reject it is a very common error when interpreting the p-value of a test in biomedical research. For example, a value of p = 0.28 obviously does not mean the null hypothesis should be ruled out, but if we understand what it means (which is not a mathematical issue, but instead a purely logical one) that it is equally obvious that it cannot be stated that it is true. If the samples in a comparison of a new drug with an old one show that the new one has a higher healing percentage and the p-value of the test is 0.0004, for example, the scientific community concludes that the new one is better. However, if for example the p-value of the test is 0.14, the scientific community does not conclude that the new one is as good as the old one. It merely concludes that the new one has not been shown to outperform the other one. It is therefore possible that an extension of the study with more cases may demonstrate that the new one is better.
More Related Videos
07:12Protocol for Data Collection and Analysis Applied to Automated Facial Expression Analysis Technology and Temporal Analysis for Sensory Evaluation
Published on: August 26, 2016
07:31Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
Published on: February 8, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Hypothesis: Accept or Fail to Reject?
There are two ways to indicate that the null hypothesis is not rejected. 'Accept' the null...
Errors In Hypothesis Tests
Null and Alternative Hypotheses
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the...
Types of Hypothesis Testing
When the null and alternative hypotheses are stated, it is observed that the null hypothesis is a neutral statement against which the alternative hypothesis is tested. The alternative hypothesis is a claim that instead has a certain direction. If the null hypothesis claims that p = 0.5, the alternative hypothesis would be an opposing statement to this and can be put either p > 0.5, p < 0.5, or p...
Accuracy and Errors in Hypothesis Testing
In hypothesis testing, the probability of making a Type I error, denoted as α, is commonly set at 0.05. This significance level indicates a 5%...
Statistical Hypothesis Testing
Statistical significance measures the probability that an observed result occurred by chance. If this probability, known as...