Question

Imagine that professor Bonus conducted a study where he randomly assigned undergraduates to listen to either nostalgic pop music or non-nostalgic pop music. He found that those who listened to nostalgic music reported higher life satisfaction (M=6.56, SD = 1.12) than those who listened to non-nostalgic pop music (M = 3.53, SD = 1.25), p < .03. Which statements is the most accurate summary of what this p-value means?

Answer 1

Answer

(B)The probability is very small (<.03) that he would find a difference between these two groups that was this large (in his sample), if in fact listening to nostalgic music had no influence on life satisfaction (in the population).

Step-By-Step Explanation:

The p-value is defined as the odds of obtaining the data you collected, assuming we have proved the null hypothesis to be true. In the study above, the null hypothesis is that “Listening to nostalgic music has no impact on life satisfaction”.

The most accurate summary of what the p-value means is that there is a very small (<.03) probability that Professor Bonus would find a difference between the two groups (those who listened to nostalgic pop music and those who did not).  in his study. From his sample of study, listening to nostalgic music had no influence on higher life satisfaction in the population.