Please Help!
For the following, which type of t-test is required? (a) Studying the effects of a memory drug on Alzheimer’s patients, testing a group of patients before and after administration of the drug. (b) Studying whether men and women rate the persuasiveness of an argument delivered by a female speaker differently. (c) The study described in part (b), but with the added requirement that for each man of a particular age, there is a woman of the same age.
(a) For studying the effects of a memory drug on Alzheimer's patients, testing a group of patients before and after administration of the drug, you would need to use a paired t-test. This allows you to compare the means of two related groups or conditions, in this case, the memory test scores of the same group of patients before and after taking the drug.
(b) For studying whether men and women rate the persuasiveness of an argument delivered by a female speaker differently, you would need to use an independent samples t-test. This allows you to compare the means of two independent groups, in this case, the ratings given by men and women.
(c) If you also have the added requirement of matching men and women of the same age, you might consider using a matched pairs t-test. This would involve comparing the means of two related groups, where each man is matched with a woman of the same age. However, it's important to note that the appropriateness of this test would depend on the specific design and objectives of the study. So make sure to consult with a statistician or researcher to determine the most appropriate statistical test for your specific needs. Hope this helps!
(a) For studying the effects of a memory drug on Alzheimer's patients, testing a group of patients before and after administration of the drug, a paired t-test is required. This is because each patient is tested twice (before and after) and the data points are paired.
(b) For studying whether men and women rate the persuasiveness of an argument delivered by a female speaker differently, an independent two-sample t-test is required. This is because we are comparing two independent groups (men and women) to see if there is a significant difference in their ratings.
(c) For the study described in part (b), but with the added requirement that for each man of a particular age, there is a woman of the same age, a paired t-test can be used. This is because the data points can still be paired based on age-matched pairs of men and women. However, it is important to note that additional assumptions and considerations may be necessary, such as ensuring that the matching process is unbiased and valid.
To determine which type of t-test is required for each scenario, we need to consider the nature of the data and the specific research question being asked.
(a) Studying the effects of a memory drug on Alzheimer's patients, testing a group of patients before and after administration of the drug.
In this scenario, a paired t-test is needed. A paired t-test is used when the same group of subjects is tested before and after a treatment or intervention. It is appropriate here because the researchers are interested in comparing the mean scores of the same group of Alzheimer's patients before and after administration of the memory drug.
(b) Studying whether men and women rate the persuasiveness of an argument delivered by a female speaker differently.
For this scenario, an independent samples t-test is required. An independent samples t-test is used to compare the means of two independent groups. In this case, the researchers want to compare the mean ratings of men and women, who are separate and distinct groups, in terms of the persuasiveness of an argument delivered by a female speaker.
(c) The study described in part (b), but with the added requirement that for each man of a particular age, there is a woman of the same age.
In this scenario, a paired t-test is again needed. Despite the added requirement for age matching, the study design is still comparing the mean ratings of the same group of men and women, before and after exposure to the argument. The fact that each man is matched with a woman of the same age does not change the dependent nature of the data, where the same individuals are being compared before and after the treatment.
So, to summarize:
(a) Paired t-test
(b) Independent samples t-test
(c) Paired t-test
a) Looks like a paired t-test (same subjects are used in a "before and after" scenario).
b) Looks like an independent groups t-test (different subjects)
c) Looks like a matched pairs t-test (matched based on characteristics like age).