In an Effort to Raise Ratings, a Television Network President

question 59

Essay

In an effort to raise ratings, a television network president decides to reduce the number of commercials. A random sample of eight one-hour programs was monitored from each of two major networks. The data below reflect the time in minutes of commercials for each of the 16 shows. Suppose denotes the mean commercial time for network 1 and denotes the mean commercial time for network 2. Estimate - using a 95% confidence interval. Assume both population distributions are normal and have equal variances.

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Definitions:

Comforting Prejudices

Prejudiced beliefs that provide comfort by reinforcing existing opinions or societal norms.

Inductive Reasoning

A rational procedure that merges several assumptions, considered true or frequently proven true, to arrive at a particular inference.

Hypothetical Reasoning

The process of applying logical thinking to situations that are often based on suppositions or possibilities, rather than facts.

Deductive Reasoning

A deductive process in which an inference is made based on the harmony of several statements that are commonly believed to be accurate.