Answers to 7.3 dependent t-test

Note: Technically, none of our data is suitable for a dependent t-test in this dataset. We will pretend that the four test score variables (English, Reading, Math, and Writing) are really four measurements of the same underlying test. In reality, we would analyze this data using correlation.

1. Do students perform better on the English test than they do the Writing test?

   • Should you use a one-tailed or two-tailed hypothesis? (answer = one-tailed)

   • Which statistic should you use based on your assumptions? (answer = dependent t-test)

   • Do students perform better on the English test than they do the Writing test? (answer = yes)

2. Does students’ English scores relate to their Reading scores?

   • Should you use a one-tailed or two-tailed hypothesis? (answer = two-tailed)

   • Which statistic should you use based on your assumptions? (answer = dependent t-test)

   • Does students’ English scores relate to their Reading scores? (answer = no)