Reference no: EM132852839

Independent-sample t tests and "Blinded with Science":tp Researchers studied the effects of learning about the effectiveness of a new medication (Tal & Wansink, 2016). Some participants heard information about the medication; others heard the same information and saw a graph that depicted the data they had heard about. Thus, the two groups had identical information. Participants rated the effectiveness of the medication on a scale of 1-9, with 9 indicating a higher level of effectiveness. The researchers reported, "Participants given graphs expressed greater belief in the claims, rating the medication as more effective (6.83 of 9) than did participants given verbal description only (6.12 of 9): (59) = -2.1, = .04" (p. 4). The researchers titled their paper "Blinded with Science" because the mere presence of a scientific cue-a graph-altered perceptions of the medication.

a. What kind of t test did the researchers use? Explain your answer - what kind of design is this (between-subjects or within-subjects) and why would this be the best kind of t-test to use?

b. Is this finding statistically significant? Explain how you know.

c. How many participants were in this experiment? Explain how you figured this out.

d. Identify the means of the two groups.

e. What additional statistics would it have been helpful for the researchers to include, and why should they have been included? (consider practical significance).