A music teacher had noticed that some students went to pieces during exams. He wanted to test whether this performance anxiety was different for people playing different instruments. He took groups of guitarists, drummers and pianists (variable = 'Instru') and measured their anxiety (variable = 'Anxiety') during the exam. He also noted the type of exam they were performing (in the UK, musical instrument exams are known as 'grades' and range from 1 to 8). He wanted to see whether the type of instrument played affected performance anxiety when controlling for the grade of the exam. The second part of the SPSS output is below. Which of the following statements best reflects the effect of 'Instru'?

A) The type of instrument played in the exam had a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced.
B) The type of instrument played in the exam did not have a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced.
C) The type of instrument played in the exam had a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced, even after the effect of the grade of the exam had been accounted for.
D) The type of instrument played in the exam did not have a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced, even after the effect of the grade of the exam had been accounted for.

Question

A music teacher had noticed that some students went to pieces during exams. He wanted to test whether this performance anxiety was different for people playing different instruments. He took groups of guitarists, drummers and pianists (variable = 'Instru') and measured their anxiety (variable = 'Anxiety') during the exam. He also noted the type of exam they were performing (in the UK, musical instrument exams are known as 'grades' and range from 1 to 8) . He wanted to see whether the type of instrument played affected performance anxiety when controlling for the grade of the exam. The second part of the SPSS output is below. Which of the following statements best reflects the effect of 'Instru'?

A) The type of instrument played in the exam had a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced. 
B) The type of instrument played in the exam did not have a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced. 
C) The type of instrument played in the exam had a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced, even after the effect of the grade of the exam had been accounted for. 
D) The type of instrument played in the exam did not have a significant effect on the level of anxiety experienced, even after the effect of the grade of the exam had been accounted for.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The significant F value for 'Instru' in the ANCOVA table indicates that the type of instrument played had a significant effect on anxiety levels even after controlling for the grade of the exam. Therefore, option C is the correct statement. Option A is incorrect as it does not consider the control variable. Option B is incorrect as it does not consider the ANCOVA table results. Option D is incorrect as it contradicts the ANCOVA table.

A Music Teacher Had Noticed That Some Students Went to Pieces