In testing the mean of a sample, the sample mean is transformed into a t-statistic in order to ______.

A) determine the critical values
B) prove our research hypotheses
C) determine whether the alternative hypothesis (H₁) should be one-tailed or two-tailed
D) determine the probability of obtaining the value of the sample mean

T-statistic

A ratio of the departure of the estimated value of a parameter from its hypothesized value to its standard error, used in hypothesis testing.

Sample Mean

The average value of all observations in a sample.

Alternative Hypothesis

A statement that suggests there is a statistically significant relationship between two variables, contrasting the null hypothesis.