Confirmatory data analysis is about

• A. Confirming or disproving a hypothesis
• B. Describing data
• C. Finding new features
• D. Predicting future values

Answer: (A)

Evaluating a predefined hypothesis using statistical analysis is the aim of confirmatory data analysis. It uses planned tests to decide whether the observed data are consistent with the hypothesis or contrary to it, often via p-values, confidence intervals, or Bayes factors. This is about testing what you expect to find, rather than simply describing data, discovering new features, or forecasting future values.