A researcher was interested in examining the different levels of aggression shown by college students and prisoners with life sentences. Aggression was measured by surveys given during one session. Which analysis should the researcher perform on the mean aggression scores of the groups?
A) related means t test
B) independent means t test
C) correlation
D) regression

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The researcher should perform an independent means t test to compare the mean aggression scores between the two groups. This is because the two groups are independent of each other (college students and prisoners with life sentences) and the researcher wants to compare their mean aggression scores. A related means t test would be appropriate if the researcher was comparing the aggression scores of the same group of individuals under different conditions (before and after an intervention, for example). Correlation and regression analyses would be appropriate if the researcher was examining the relationship between aggression and other variables, but they do not address the question of differences between groups.

A Researcher Was Interested in Examining the Different Levels of Aggression