These study tips are designed to clarify key points and help you to avoid errors that students commonly make. Review the Tips for Success as you study each chapter and review them again after you have studied each chapter.

1. The section, The Core Logic of Hypothesis Testing, is central to everything else we do in the book. Thus, you may want to read it a few times. You should also be certain that you understand the logic of hypothesis testing before reading later chapters.
2. If you are unsure about the symbols for population parameters, be sure to review Table 3-2 on page 95.
3. Remember that the research hypothesis and null hypothesis must always be complete opposites. Researchers specify the research hypothesis and this determines what the corresponding null hypothesis is.
4. When carrying out the five steps of hypothesis testing, always draw a diagram of the comparison distribution that is clearly labeled with the cutoff score(s) and appropriate shading of the tail(s), and the score of the sample on this distribution (see Figure 4-8 on page 131).

If the sample score lies in a shaded tail region, the null hypothesis can be rejected and the result is statistically significant.

If the sample score does not lie in a shaded tail region, the null hypothesis can not be rejected and the result is said to be inconclusive.

5. It is very easy to get confused by a Type I error and a Type II error. Be sure you understand each type of error (and the difference between them).