A researcher want to test if a cause-effect relationships exists between someone's age and the number of hours of sleep someone needs.She measures age as follows: 0 < 20 years.
0 20 - 50 years.
0 > 50 years.
Furthermore,participant of the research can fill in the number of hours they sleep on average in a day on a dotted line.
Which test could best be used to test the hypothesis that age influences the number of hours someone sleeps?

Question

A researcher want to test if a cause-effect relationships exists between someone's age and the number of hours of sleep someone needs.She measures age as follows: 0 < 20 years.
0 20 - 50 years.
0 > 50 years.
Furthermore,participant of the research can fill in the number of hours they sleep on average in a day on a dotted line.
Which test could best be used to test the hypothesis that age influences the number of hours someone sleeps?
A)A independent samples t-test.
B)A paired samples t-test.
C)ANOVA.
D)Discriminant analysis.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) is the most appropriate test to test the hypothesis that age influences the number of hours someone sleeps when the independent variable has three or more levels (in this case, the age categories) and the dependent variable (number of hours slept) is continuous. ANOVA will determine if there is a statistically significant difference in the mean number of hours slept between the three age groups. A paired samples t-test would be used if the study were comparing the same individuals in different age groups (e.g. before and after a certain age), while an independent samples t-test would be used if comparing two different groups that are not related in any way. Discriminant analysis is not appropriate in this case, as it is a method for determining which variables discriminate between two or more groups.

A Researcher Want to Test If a Cause-Effect Relationships Exists