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sschilli

Sabine Schilling

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visStatistics: The right test - visualised. The R package 'visStatistics' automatically selects and visualises statistical hypothesis tests between two vectors, based on their class, distribution, sample size, and a user-defined confidence level (conf.level). Visual outputs - including box plots, bar charts, regression lines with confidence bands, mosaic plots, residual plots, and Q-Q plots - are annotated with relevant test statistics, assumption checks, and post-hoc analyses where applicable. The algorithmic workflow shifts attention from test selection to interpretation. It is particularly suited for quick data analysis in statistical consulting projects or educational settings. It also integrates well into browser-based interfaces with restricted access, where automated analysis must be executed without manual scripting. The test selection algorithm proceeds as follows: Input vectors of class numeric or integer are considered numerical; those of class factor are considered categorical. Assumptions of residual normality and homogeneity of variances are considered met if the corresponding test yields a p-value greater than the significance level alpha = 1 - conf.level. (1) When the response vector is numerical and the predictor vector is categorical, a test of central tendencies is selected. If the categorical predictor has exactly two levels, t.test() is applied when group sizes exceed 30 (Lumley et al. (2002) <doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.23.100901.140546>). For smaller samples, normality of residuals is tested using shapiro.test(); if met, t.test() is used; otherwise, wilcox.test(). If the predictor is categorical with more than two levels, an aov() is initially fitted. Residual normality is evaluated using the both shapiro.test(). If the assumption is met, bartlett.test() assesses variance homogeneity. If variances are homogeneous, aov() is used; otherwise oneway.test(). Both tests are followed by TukeyHSD(). If residual normality cannot be assumed, kruskal.test() is followed by pairwise.wilcox.test(). (2) When both the response and predictor vectors are numerical, a simple linear regression model is fitted using lm(). (3) When both vectors are categorical, Cochran's rule (Cochran (1954) <doi:10.2307/3001666>) is applied to test independence either by chisq.test() or fisher.test().