Statistics 2025/2026

This lesson deepens understanding of the interpretive logic behind the Mann–Whitney U Test by focusing on the shape of the distributions being compared. Students will learn how to use SPSS to visualize data (via boxplots and histograms) and to determine whether the two distributions have similar or different shapes. The lesson emphasizes how this affects interpretation:

• Similar shapes → comparison of medians (central tendency)

• Different shapes → comparison of overall distributions (spread or skewness)

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to distinguish between these cases, interpret Mann–Whitney U results accurately, and report findings appropriately in APA style.