ICGB · Question #127
The Mann-Whitney Test is used to test if the Means for two samples are different.
The correct answer is B. False. B is correct because the Mann-Whitney U test is a non-parametric test that compares the medians (or more precisely, the rank distributions) of two independent samples - not their means. It evaluates whether one group tends to have systematically higher or lower values than the…
Question
The Mann-Whitney Test is used to test if the Means for two samples are different.
Options
- ATrue
- BFalse
How the community answered
(37 responses)- A24% (9)
- B76% (28)
Explanation
B is correct because the Mann-Whitney U test is a non-parametric test that compares the medians (or more precisely, the rank distributions) of two independent samples - not their means. It evaluates whether one group tends to have systematically higher or lower values than the other by ranking all observations combined.
Why A is wrong: Testing the difference between two sample means is the job of the independent samples t-test (parametric). The Mann-Whitney is the go-to alternative when the normality assumption required by the t-test cannot be met.
Memory tip: Think "Mann-Whitney → Medians" - both start with M, but the key distinction is that Mann-Whitney avoids assuming a normal distribution, so it works with medians and ranks rather than means. If you see "means" paired with "Mann-Whitney," that's a red flag.
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