Question

To do this assignment, choose a statistical model from the list below and come up with a hypothetical study related to your research interests that could be conducted using the model. Assignment must include the following:

1. Brief background information on your topic, the research question and hypothesis.
2. State the population of interest and the sample. State the IV including levels and the DV. Be specific about what your variables are. Review “operational definitions”
3. Detail what the procedure would be for those participating in your study. Be specific about each step in the procedure.
4. Come up with a sample data set for your hypothetical study (how you think the data might look; minimum of 30 data points total). **You do not have to collect actual data** Demonstrate how the data would be analyzed using the formulas learned in class.
5. Interpret the results of the test. Relate your analysis to the question posed by your hypothetical study. NOTE: If the hypothetical data you come up with does not have significant differences, state potential reasons why there are no group differences and how a follow-up study could be conducted.

Choose from the following statistical models:

Independent t-test

Dependent t-test

One-way between-subjects ANOVA

One-way within-subjects ANOVA

Answer 1

Suppose you wish to test the effect of Prozac on the well-being of depressed individuals, using a standardized "well-being scale" that sums Likert-type items to obtain a score that could range from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate greater well-being (that is, Prozac is having a positive effect). While there are flaws in this design (e.g., lack of a control group) it will serve as an example of how to analyze such data.

Pre	Post
3	5
0	1
6	5
7	7
4	10
3	9
2	7
1	11
4	8
9	9
4	1
1	2
8	10
1	9
5	1
5	3
6	10
3	10
8	8
6	5
0	3
5	4
7	4
6	4
6	2
10	0
1	5
9	7
8	9
6	6

The hypothesis being tested is:

H0: µd = 0

Ha: µd ≠ 0

4.333	mean Pre
4.700	mean Post
-0.367	mean difference (Pre - Post)
4.391	std. dev.
0.802	std. error
30	n
29	df
-0.457	t
.6508	p-value (two-tailed)

The p-value is 0.6508.

Since the p-value (0.6508) is greater than the significance level (0.05), we fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Therefore, we cannot conclude that µd ≠ 0.

We have found no strong evidence that Prozac enhances well-being in depressed individuals. However, the major lack of controls in this study would suggest we keep quiet about it until we can repeat the finding with more stringent safeguards against confounds!