Consider the situation in which a human resources manager wishes to determine whether the median number of days of sick leave per year is greater for female employees than for male employees.The following data represent random samples of males and females: If the manager is unwilling to assume that the populations are normally distributed,which of the following is the correct conclusion to reach if the test is conducted using a .05 level of significance?
A)Reject the null hypothesis
B)Conclude that females do have a higher median than males
C)Do not reject the null hypothesis
D)Conclude that males have a higher median than females

Question

Consider the situation in which a human resources manager wishes to determine whether the median number of days of sick leave per year is greater for female employees than for male employees.The following data represent random samples of males and females:  If the manager is unwilling to assume that the populations are normally distributed,which of the following is the correct conclusion to reach if the test is conducted using a .05 level of significance?
A)Reject the null hypothesis 
B)Conclude that females do have a higher median than males 
C)Do not reject the null hypothesis 
D)Conclude that males have a higher median than females

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the manager is unwilling to assume normal distribution of populations, a nonparametric test should be used. The appropriate test for this situation is the median test. The null hypothesis states that the median number of days of sick leave per year is the same for males and females, while the alternative hypothesis states that the median number of days of sick leave per year is different for males and females. Using the median test with a .05 level of significance, if the p-value is greater than .05, the null hypothesis should not be rejected, indicating no significant difference between the medians of males and females. Therefore, the correct conclusion is to not reject the null hypothesis.

Consider the Situation in Which a Human Resources Manager Wishes