Essay

Describe the core argument of the criticism that null hypothesis significance testing is fundamentally "uninformative." In your answer, explain what the null hypothesis posits and what rejecting it actually tells a researcher about the relationship between variables in the population.

Question: Describe the core argument of the criticism that null hypothesis significance testing is fundamentally "uninformative." In your answer, explain what the null hypothesis posits and what rejecting it actually tells a researcher about the relationship between variables in the population.

Sample answer: The criticism that null hypothesis testing is fundamentally uninformative is based on the idea that the null hypothesis posits precisely zero relationship between variables in the population. Critics argue that a relationship of exactly zero is never literally true in the real world. Therefore, rejecting the null hypothesis merely confirms that some nonzero relationship exists, which provides researchers with very little precise information about the actual strength or nature of the phenomenon being studied.

Key points:

  • The null hypothesis posits precisely zero relationship between variables in the population.
  • Critics argue that a relationship of exactly zero is never literally true in the real world.
  • Rejecting the null hypothesis merely confirms that some nonzero relationship exists.
  • Rejecting the null hypothesis provides very little precise information about the actual strength or nature of the phenomenon.

Rubric: To receive full credit, the response must: 1. State that the null hypothesis posits precisely zero relationship between variables in the population. 2. Explain the critics' argument that a relationship of exactly zero is never literally true in the real world. 3. Explain that rejecting the null hypothesis only confirms that a nonzero relationship exists. 4. Describe how this provides very little precise information about the actual strength or nature of the relationship.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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