Which type of statistical test would be appropriate for comparing more than two groups?

The appropriate statistical test for comparing more than two groups is ANOVA, which stands for Analysis of Variance. ANOVA is specifically designed to determine whether there are statistically significant differences between the means of three or more independent groups. It allows researchers to assess the influence of one or more categorical independent variables on a continuous dependent variable.

By using ANOVA, researchers can evaluate the overall effect of the different groups on the outcome variable without increasing the risk of Type I error that would occur if multiple t-tests were conducted instead. This distinction is particularly important in research as it maintains the integrity of the statistical analysis across multiple comparisons.

In contrast, the t-test is limited to comparing only two groups at a time, making it unsuitable for scenarios involving more than two groups. Regression analysis, while powerful for examining relationships between variables, is primarily used for predicting outcomes based on dependent and independent variables, rather than direct group comparisons. Descriptive statistics provide a summary of the data but do not perform any comparative analysis or statistical testing. Thus, ANOVA stands out as the correct choice for comparing multiple groups effectively.