Psyc 121 – Statistics Review Assignment For each of the scenarios below, answer the following questions: a. What is the research question? b. What are the independent and dependent variables? c. What are the null and experimental hypotheses? d. What type of study is it? e. What statistical test should be/was completed? Responses should be in paragraph form, with one paragraph per question. An APA cover page should be included as the first page. 1. A study of 42 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (symptoms of burning numbness in the wrist to difficulty making a fist) was done (“Yoga based intervention for carpal tunnel syndrome,” Garfinkel et al, JAMA 1998; 280:1601-1603). Subjects were randomly assigned to a yoga group or a control (where they were offered a wrist splint to supplement their current treatment). Results showed that subjects in the yoga group had significant improvement in grip strength, while subjects in the control group did not. 2. A random sample of 500 students showed a statistically significant relationship between where the students usually sat in class (front, middle, or back) and grade point average (GPA). 3. In a report by CNN Health News, the headlines read “Study: Junk food raises teens’ risk of heart disease.” The headlines were based on a study of 249 high school students between the ages of 13 and 18. One researcher said, “more than 80% of those tested were eating a diet that could promote heart disease.” Ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of the carotid artery, which, the researcher said, “can be an early indicator of atherosclerosis, an abnormal hardening of the artery walls.” 4. A professor is interested in the relationship between his students’ attendance and their performance in the class in general. He believes that the fewer days the students miss the better they will perform in the class. At the end of the semester he counts the number of days of class each student missed and compares it to their final grade. 5. A professor is interested if the grade the students expect to get in a Psychology 121 class (A, B, C or D) can be predicted based on grades earned in their Psychology 101 class.
