A Statistics Professor at a Large University Hypothesizes That Students

question 9

Multiple Choice

A statistics professor at a large university hypothesizes that students who take statistics in the morning typically do better than those who take it in the afternoon. He takes a random sample of 36 students who took a morning class and, independently, another random sample of 36 students who took an afternoon class. He finds that the morning group scored an average of 74 with a standard deviation of 8, while the evening group scored an average of 68 with a standard deviation of 10. The population standard deviation of scores is unknown but is assumed to be equal for morning and evening classes. Let µ₁ and µ₂ represent the population mean final exam scores of statistics' courses offered in the morning and the afternoon, respectively. Which of the following hypotheses will test the professor's claim?

• A) H₀: µ₁ - µ₂ ≤ 0, H_A: µ₁ - µ₂ > 0
• B) H₀: µ₁ - µ₂ ≥ 0, H_A: µ₁ - µ₂ < 0
• C) H₀: µ₁ - µ₂ > 0, H_A: µ₁ - µ₂ ≤ 0
• D) H₀: µ₁ - µ₂ = 0, H_A: µ₁ - µ₂ ≠ 0

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Definitions:

Linguistic

Pertains to the study and use of language and its structures, influencing how individuals communicate and understand one another.

Academic Aptitude

Refers to an individual's capacity to learn, understand, and perform well in an academic setting.

General Intelligence

A theoretical construct that involves the ability to think abstractly, reason, understand complex ideas, and solve problems.

Multiple Intelligences

A theory proposed by Howard Gardner that suggests individuals have different kinds of intelligences, such as linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist.