Practical Data Analysis with JMP®

Using JMP to Conduct a Significance Test

The goal of significance testing is to make a judgment based on the evidence provided by sample data. Often the judgment implies action: is this new medication or dosage effective? Does this strategy lead to success with clients or on the field of play?

The process of significance testing is bound up with the scientific method. Someone has a hunch, idea, suspicion, or concern and decides to design an empirical investigation to put the hunch to the test. As a matter of rigor, and in consideration of the risk of erroneous conclusions, the test approximates the logical structure of a proof by contradiction. The investigator initially assumes the hunch to be incorrect and asks if the empirical evidence makes ...