Wilcoxon signed-rank test

The Wilcoxon signed-rank test is a non-parametric rank test for statistical hypothesis testing used either to test the location of a population based on a sample of data, or to compare the locations of two populations using two matched samples.[1] The one-sample version serves a purpose similar to that of the one-sample Student's t-test.[2] For two matched samples, it is a paired difference test like the paired Student's t-test (also known as the "t-test for matched pairs" or "t-test for dependent samples"). The Wilcoxon test is a good alternative to the t-test when the normal distribution of the differences between paired individuals cannot be assumed. Instead, it assumes a weaker hypothesis that the distribution of this difference is symmetric around a central value and it aims to test whether this center value differs significantly from zero. The Wilcoxon test is a more powerful alternative to the sign test because it considers the magnitude of the differences, but it requires this moderately strong assumption of symmetry.

  1. ^ Conover, W. J. (1999). Practical nonparametric statistics (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0-471-16068-7., p. 350
  2. ^ "Wilcoxon signed-rank test - Handbook of Biological Statistics". www.biostathandbook.com. Retrieved 2021-09-02.