A Simple Random Sample of Ten Firms Was Asked How

question 12

Essay

A simple random sample of ten firms was asked how much money (in thousands of dollars) they spent on employee training programs this year and how much they plan to spend on these programs next year. The data are shown below. $$\begin{array} { l r r r r r r r r r r } \text { Firm } & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & 7 & 8 & 9 & 10 \\\text { This year } & 25 & 31 & 12 & 15 & 21 & 36 & 18 & 5 & 9 & 17 \\\text { Next year } & 21 & 30 & 18 & 20 & 22 & 36 & 20 & 10 & 8 & 15\end{array}$$ Assume that the populations of amount spent on employee training programs are normally distributed.
a. Estimate with 95% confidence the mean difference.
b. Briefly explain what the interval estimate in part a. tells you.

---

Definitions:

Positive Punishment

A behavior modification technique that involves adding an unpleasant consequence after an undesired behavior to decrease its occurrence.

Punishing Stimuli

Any stimulus that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows, often used in the context of behavioral psychology and conditioning.

Aggressiveness

A behavior characterized by boldness or assertiveness, with a tendency to confront or attack.

Operant Conditioning

A method in which learning occurs by altering the level of a behavior through the application of reinforcers or punishments.