One- and Two-Tailed Tests

Prerequisites
Binomial Distribution, Introduction to Hypothesis Testing, Statistical Significance

A probability computed considering differences in only one direction such as the statistic is larger than the parameter is called a one-tailed probability. For example, if a parameter is 0 and the statistic is 12, a one-tailed probability (the positive tail) would be the probability of a statistic being ≥ to 12. A probability computed considering differences in both direction (statistic either larger or smaller than the parameter) is called two-tailed probability. For example, if a parameter is 0 and the statistic is 12, a two-tailed probability would be the he probability of being either ≤ -12 or ≥12.

You should always decide whether you are going to use a one-tailed or a two-tailed probability before looking at the data. Statistical tests that compute one-tailed probabilities are called one-tailed tests; those that compute two-tailed probabilities are called two-tailed tests. Two-tailed tests are much more common than one-tailed tests in scientific research because an outcome signifying that something other than chance is operating is usually worth noting. One-tailed tests are appropriate when it is not important to distinguish between no effect and an effect in the unexpected direction. For example, consider an experiment designed to test the efficacy of treatment for the common cold. The researcher would only be interested in whether the treatment was better than a placebo control. It would not be worth distinguishing between the case in which the treatment was worse than a placebo and the case in which it was the same because in both cases the drug would be worthless.

Some have argued that a one-tailed test is justified whenever the researcher predicts the direction of an effect. The problem with this argument is that if the effect comes out strongly the in the non-predicted direction, the researcher is not justified in concluding that the effect is not zero. Since this is unrealistic, one-tailed tests are usually viewed skeptically if justified on this basis alone.