In the context of conducting an ANOVA, what does 'between groups' refer to?

'Between groups' in the context of conducting an ANOVA specifically refers to the differences between the means of different groups. ANOVA, or Analysis of Variance, is utilized to compare the means of three or more independent groups to determine if at least one group mean is statistically significantly different from the others.

In this statistical method, 'between groups' variation measures how much the group means deviate from the overall mean of all groups combined. This variation helps to assess the impact of the independent variable that categorizes the different groups. A significant 'between groups' effect indicates that the treatment or condition associated with the different groups has had a noteworthy effect on the dependent variable.

Understanding this concept is crucial for interpreting the results of ANOVA, as it provides insights into the influence of categorical factors in an experiment or study.