Lesson 10: Introduction to ANOVA

Overview Section

In the previous lessons, we learned how to perform inference for a population mean from one sample and also how to compare population means from two samples (independent and paired). In this Lesson, we introduce Analysis of Variance or ANOVA. ANOVA is a statistical method that analyzes variances to determine if the means from more than two populations are the same. In other words, we have a quantitative response variable and a categorical explanatory variable with more than two levels. In ANOVA, the categorical explanatory is typically referred to as the factor.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Describe the logic behind analysis of variance.
  • Set up and perform one-way ANOVA.
  • Identify the information in the ANOVA table.
  • Interpret the results from ANOVA output.
  • Perform multiple comparisons and interpret the results, when appropriate.