A Researcher Was Interested in Studying the Possible Deterrent Effect

question 109

Essay

A researcher was interested in studying the possible deterrent effect of sentencing. A sample of 12 recidivists was compared with another sample of 12 who had stayed clean. Both groups had been convicted of distributing drugs and both groups had served time. For each subject the length of the previous sentence in months was found. $$\begin{array} { c c } \text { Non-Recidivists } & \text { Recidivists } \\36 & 60 \\48 & 72 \\54 & 59 \\32 & 35 \\66 & 56 \\45 & 55 \\37 & 42 \\46 & 57 \\35 & 60 \\42 & 64 \\28 & 97 \\24 & 28\end{array}$$
-Did the results answer the researcher's question?

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Definitions:

Median

The middle value in a data set when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order.

Squared Deviation

Squared deviation refers to the squared differences between each data point in a dataset and the mean of that dataset.

Mathematical Average

Also known as the mean; a measure of central tendency calculated by adding all the numbers in a data set and dividing by the count of those numbers.

Mode

The value that is most prevalent in a dataset.