In which situation would it be necessary to use a between-groups ANOVA?
A) A researcher is interested in a longitudinal study that follows a group of kindergarten children through high school and assesses their body mass index at four time points.
B) A researcher classifies a group of college students on the basis of their political leanings as liberal, conservative, libertarian, or green.
C) A researcher is interested in the effects of distraction on driving performance and randomly assigns participants to one of three distraction groups.
D) A researcher is interested in whether a sensitivity training class changes attitudes toward minority populations.The researcher assesses these attitudes before and after the sensitivity training class.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A between-groups ANOVA is necessary when comparing the means of three or more groups that have been randomly assigned to different conditions. In this scenario, the researcher has randomly assigned participants to one of three distraction groups, making a between-groups ANOVA the appropriate statistical test. Choices A, B, and D do not involve randomly assigned groups, so a between-groups ANOVA is not necessary.

In Which Situation Would It Be Necessary to Use a Between-Groups