Eileen hypothesizes that a new therapy for phobia will improve wellbeing scores of her clients. Assuming that her null hypothesis is true…
A) She is more likely to obtain a sample mean that is positive than a sample mean that is negative.
B) She is more likely to obtain a sample mean that is negative than a sample mean that is positive.
C) She is more likely to obtain a sample mean that is more than two standard deviations higher than the population mean than a sample mean that is within one standard deviation of the population mean.
D) She is more likely to obtain a sample mean that is within one standard deviation of the population mean than a sample mean that is more than two standard deviations higher than the population mean.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the null hypothesis is true, it means that the therapy has no effect on the wellbeing scores of clients. Therefore, the sample mean is more likely to be close to the population mean (within one standard deviation) rather than significantly higher (more than two standard deviations higher). Option A and B are both incorrect because they suggest that the sample mean will be positive or negative, which is not necessarily related to the effectiveness of the therapy. Option C is also incorrect because it suggests that the sample mean is more likely to be much higher than the population mean, which is unlikely if the null hypothesis is true.

Eileen Hypothesizes That a New Therapy for Phobia Will Improve