In the above study, the researchers reported the following mean femininity ratings (i.e. higher numbers indicate greater femininity):
male- small meals (2.02)
male- large meals (2.05)
female- small meals (3.90)
female- large meals (2.82)
Assume that there are equal numbers of diary writers in each experimental condition. Calculate the data (show your work) and answer the following questions:
1. Are there any main effects of the independent (or subject) variables?
2. Is there an interaction (AxB) between the independent (or subject) variables?
3. Graph the means to determine if there is an interaction.
4. Describe and interpret the results of your data analysis in a brief paragraph.
Yes, there is
To answer the questions about the main effects and interaction in the given study, we will analyze the mean femininity ratings provided. Let's go through each question step by step:
1. To determine if there are any main effects of the independent variables, we need to examine the differences between the levels of each variable independently. In this study, we have two independent variables: "gender" (male vs. female) and "meal size" (small vs. large).
- For the "gender" variable, we can calculate the mean femininity ratings for males and females separately:
- Male Mean: (2.02 + 2.05) / 2 = 2.035
- Female Mean: (3.90 + 2.82) / 2 = 3.36
These means indicate that, on average, females have higher femininity ratings (3.36) compared to males (2.035). A main effect of gender exists.
- For the "meal size" variable, we can calculate the mean femininity ratings for small and large meals separately:
- Small Meal Mean: (2.02 + 3.90) / 2 = 2.96
- Large Meal Mean: (2.05 + 2.82) / 2 = 2.435
These means suggest that, on average, small meals have higher femininity ratings (2.96) than large meals (2.435). Therefore, there is a main effect of meal size.
2. To determine if there is an interaction between the independent variables (gender and meal size), we need to observe how the effect of one variable may change based on the levels of the other variable.
By comparing the means of males and females across small and large meals, we can check for an interaction:
- Male Small Meal Mean: 2.02
- Male Large Meal Mean: 2.05
- Female Small Meal Mean: 3.90
- Female Large Meal Mean: 2.82
No clear pattern emerges, indicating that the effect of meal size on femininity ratings does not differ significantly between genders. Therefore, there is no interaction between the independent variables.
3. To graph the means and visually analyze the interaction, we can plot the mean femininity ratings for each combination of gender and meal size.
X-axis: Gender (male, female)
Y-axis: Mean Femininity Ratings
Graphing the means:
| *
Female | * |
|
--------------------------------
Male | * |
|
--------------------------------
Small Meals Large Meals
From the graph, we can observe that females consistently have higher femininity ratings regardless of meal size.
4. In summary, the data analysis shows significant main effects of gender and meal size. Females, on average, have higher femininity ratings compared to males, while small meals have higher femininity ratings than large meals. However, there is no interaction between gender and meal size.