DISCUSSION FOUR

Discussion Four
1. Why would a researcher want to compare the mean of a sample to that of the
population?
A researcher would want to compare the mean of a sample to that of the population in
order to conclude whether the sample was or was not representative of the population
(Salkind, 2013). In the example given in the book, the study participants did not sleep as
well as the general population leading researchers to conclude that the sample being tested
did not have the same characteristics displayed in the population (Salkind, 2013). This can
be done using the Excel ZTEST function, which calculates the probability that a certain score
belongs to the population (Salkind, 2013).
2. What is the purpose of calculating the Standard Error of the Mean?
The purpose of calculating that Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) is to obtain the
standard deviation of all the possible means selected from a population (Salkind, 2013). It is
impossible to compute all possible means so SEM is the best estimate we can use (Salkind,
2013). While we can always try, samples will not be absolutely perfect so we use the SEM to
determine standard deviation and analyze how good the sample really is (Salkind, 2013). For
example, is the standard deviation of all the samples is huge then sampling was most likely
not done randomly and representatively (Salkind, 2013). If the difference is zero, then the
researcher has a perfect sample (Salkind, 2013).
3. What does homogeneity of variance mean? How can it affect your results?
The homogeneity of variance assumption means that the amount of variability in each of
the two groups in a t-test is equal (Salkind, 2013). This assumption is rarely violated but is
important to know about because a violation can lead to ambiguous results and conclusions

DISCUSSION FOUR

(Salkind, 2013). Smaller sample sizes are especially at risk for violating this assumption
(Salkind, 2013).
4. What path should you follow to know that the t test for dependent samples is the
correct test statistic (see Figure 12.1)?
To know that the t test for dependent samples is the correct test statistic, one must follow
the path through the flow chart in figure 12.1 (Salkind, 2013). The chart will guide you
through a decision tree, starting with the fact that we are examining differences between
groups rather than relationships between variables (Salkind, 2013). Next, we know that
participants are being tested more than once such as in the pretest posttest scenario (Salkind,
2013). Lastly, if dealing with two groups, this will land the researcher on the t-test for
dependent samples (Salkind, 2013).
5. What do you notice about the formulas for these two different t tests?
The formulas for the two different t-tests differ in that the t-test for independent samples
tests for difference in scores of one or more variables between two groups while the t-test for
dependent samples factors in the difference between two scores within the same group
(Salkind, 2013). Another important difference to note is that the degrees of freedom is
calculated differently for dependent and independent t-tests. Independent t-test calculates
degrees of freedom as n1-1+n2-1 while dependent t-test equation uses n-1 as the df (Salkind,
2013).

DISCUSSION FOUR

References
Salkind, N.J. (2013). Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics (The third Excel 2010
edition). Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publication.