What does it mean to fail to reject the null hypothesis?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for an explanation of what it means to fail to reject the null hypothesis in the context of statistical hypothesis testing. Essentially, it pertains to whether there is sufficient evidence to conclude that a particular effect exists or not within a given study or experiment.
Answer
Our sample did not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the effect exists.
Failing to reject the null hypothesis means that our sample did not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the effect exists. However, it does not prove that the effect does not exist.
Answer for screen readers
Failing to reject the null hypothesis means that our sample did not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that the effect exists. However, it does not prove that the effect does not exist.
More Information
This usually means that the data gathered is not strong enough to support a conclusion, leaving the null hypothesis unchallenged but not confirmed.
Tips
A common mistake is thinking that failing to reject the null hypothesis proves it true. It only shows insufficient evidence to prove it false.
