Testing

Lyric copyright by Bret Larget
May be sung to the tune of "Roll out the Barrel" (Lew Brown, Wladimir A. Timm, Vasek Zeman and Jaromir Vejvoda)

What's a p-value?
Test a hypothesis and see.
What's a p-value?
It is the probability,
That a new test statistic,
Would be at least as extreme as the old,
Given Ho is true.
That is what I'm told!

Lyric copyright by Gary Cziko
may sing to tune of "Mr. Bojangles" (Jerry Jeff Walker)

Well, I didn't think I'd ever like statistics,
and I don't know why.
But I had to take it sometime soon to graduate,
so I gave it a try.
And I've changed my mind, yes I've changed my mind,
'cause it's clear to me now,
Hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing is fun!

Oh, you state your null hypothesis and don't forget,
your alternative one, too.
It may be directional that means it has one tail,
but usually two.
You decide on alpha, oh, don't forget alpha,
to control errors Type I and II.
Hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing is fun!

Then compute your z or t or F or chi-square,
and compare it to the table.
To decide the fate of your own null hypothesis,
you reject it if you're able.
If you're lucky you reject it, don't try to accept it,
it's not logical to do.
Hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing is fun!

So statistics really can be quite enjoyable,
if you study all along.
And I want to world to know about the joy I've found,
so I wrote this song.
And I hope you'll sing it, yes hope you'll sing it,
in a voice clear and strong.
Hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing, hypothesis testing is fun!

Lyric copyright by Kate McFarland
may sing to tune of "I Will Find You" (Peter Hammill)

Trapped by your habit when you must compare,
Two-sample t-tests that blind you
I have a better way;
each observation pair,
I'll assess, greater/less; I will find U.

(For) independent samples X and Y,
Mann-Whitney's test, I'll remind you,
Is so simple--add a half for every tie,
Else just sum, naughts and ones, and you'll find U.

Far away in a normal test
You'll find you don't have so much freedom;
Don't run away to a normal test.

Don't be afraid should it be unknown
What distribution's before you.
Don't be afraid (with) symmetry alone,
Lose no more, (than) point-one-four, if you find U.

Far away in a normal test
Things cannot be much more efficient;
Don't run away to a normal test...

Trapped by your habit when you must compare,
Two-sample t-tests that blind you
I have a better way;
each observation pair,
I'll assess, greater/less; I will find U.

Lyric copyright by Marc Coram and Matthew Finkelman
may sing to the tune of "My Boyfriend's Back" (Robert Feldman, Gerald Goldstein and Richard Gottehre)

The p-value's low and I'm gonna get it published
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05

The p-value's low and the journal isn't rubbish
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05

Yeah, my paper got accepted
Null hypothesis rejected
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05

The effect is microscopic but I got four thousand patients
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05

Now people will forget my bad TA evaluations
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05

Yeah, my paper got accepted
Null hypothesis rejected
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05
Heh-na, heh-na, it's .05