Which test is the parametric method for comparing two means?

Which test is the parametric method for comparing two means?

• A. Chi-square
• B. T-test
• C. ANOVA
• D. Mann-Whitney U test

Answer: (B)

When you want to compare two means using a parametric method, you use a t-test. Parametric tests assume the data come from a distribution with known parameters, typically a normal distribution, and that the measurement scale is interval or ratio. The t-test directly assesses whether the observed difference between the two sample means is likely to reflect a true difference in the population means, given the data’s variability. There are two common versions: an independent-samples t-test for two separate groups and a paired-samples t-test for measurements taken on the same subjects at different times or under different conditions. Chi-square, in contrast, handles categorical data and tests associations or frequencies rather than means. ANOVA extends to three or more groups (though it can compare two means, it’s not the standard choice when you’re specifically comparing two and want a parametric test for means). The Mann-Whitney U test is nonparametric and compares distributions or medians without assuming normality, so it isn’t a parametric method for means. So, for directly comparing two means under parametric assumptions, the t-test is the appropriate choice.

When you want to compare two means using a parametric method, you use a t-test. Parametric tests assume the data come from a distribution with known parameters, typically a normal distribution, and that the measurement scale is interval or ratio. The t-test directly assesses whether the observed difference between the two sample means is likely to reflect a true difference in the population means, given the data’s variability. There are two common versions: an independent-samples t-test for two separate groups and a paired-samples t-test for measurements taken on the same subjects at different times or under different conditions.

Chi-square, in contrast, handles categorical data and tests associations or frequencies rather than means. ANOVA extends to three or more groups (though it can compare two means, it’s not the standard choice when you’re specifically comparing two and want a parametric test for means). The Mann-Whitney U test is nonparametric and compares distributions or medians without assuming normality, so it isn’t a parametric method for means.

So, for directly comparing two means under parametric assumptions, the t-test is the appropriate choice.