A Physiological Psychologist Suspects That the Sweat Gland Activity Decreases

question 215

Essay

A physiological psychologist suspects that the sweat gland activity decreases in people as they get older. The psychologist believes that the highest readings should occur in the youngest people and the lowest readings should occur in the oldest people. The sweat gland activity is assessed by measuring the electrodermal activity of the skin. The following data are electrodermal readings measured in micromhos/cm . The higher the value the more is the sweating.
a. Using an a priori test and a = 0.05 1 tail , evaluate whether the young group sweats significantly more than the middle aged group.
b. Using the HSD test, evaluate all possible pair-wise comparisons using a = 0.05.
c. Would the results of part b have been different had we used the Scheffé test? Please show all work.
d. Explain any differences in results between parts a , b and c .

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Definitions:

Cathexis

Refers to the concentration of emotional energy on a particular object, individual, or idea.

Single-Trial Learning

Learning that occurs in one exposure to a stimulus, typically seen in situations with significant emotional or survival importance.

Complex Behavior

Actions or series of actions that involve multiple steps, decision-making processes, or behaviors that demonstrate a level of sophistication and are often learned rather than instinctual.

Guthrie

proposed the one-trial learning theory, emphasizing that a stimulus paired once with a response can establish a connection, in contrast to theories requiring multiple pairings.