We use
p
pp-values to make conclusions in significance testing. More specifically, we compare the
p
pp-value to a significance level
α
αalpha to make conclusions about our hypotheses.
If the
p
pp-value is lower than the significance level we chose, then we reject the null hypothesis
H
0
H
0
H, start subscript, 0, end subscript in favor of the alternative hypothesis
H
a
H
a
H, start subscript, start text, a, end text, end subscript. If the
p
pp-value is greater than or equal to the significance level, then we fail to reject the null hypothesis
H
0
H
0
H, start subscript, 0, end subscript, but this doesn't mean we accept
H
0
H
0
H, start subscript, 0, end subscript. To summarize:
p
-value
<
α
⇒
reject
H
0
⇒
accept
H
a
p
-value
≥
α
⇒
fail to reject
H
0
p-value<α
p-value≥α
⇒reject H
0
⇒accept H
a
⇒fail to reject H
0
