How does a Chi Square contingency table differ from a multi-factor ANOVA mean table?

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Prepare for UCF's PSY3204C Statistical Methods in Psychology Quiz 3. Use interactive tools and engaging quizzes to solidify your understanding of statistics in psychology, and enhance your chances of success.

The correct answer highlights a fundamental difference between the two statistical methods. A Chi Square contingency table is designed to analyze the relationship between two categorical variables by examining the frequency of observations in each category. It determines whether distributions of categorical variables differ from each other, making it ideal for analyzing count data.

In contrast, a multi-factor ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) is used to compare means across different groups when dealing with one or more independent categorical variables and one continuous dependent variable. The primary focus in ANOVA is on comparing the averages (means) of different groups to assess whether there are statistically significant differences among them.

Understanding that Chi Square evaluates frequencies while ANOVA focuses on means clarifies the distinct functions these statistical tools serve in data analysis.