A researcher reports that stress levels among nurses are higher compared to stress levels in the general population,t(20)= 2.086,p = .05 (d = .12).Was this a one-tailed or a two-tailed test?
A) One-tailed test because the p value is equal to .05.
B) Two-tailed test because the p value is equal to .05.
C) It could be a one- or a two-tailed test.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In hypothesis testing, the p-value is compared with the significance level (usually set at α = 0.05) to determine whether to accept or reject the null hypothesis. In this example, the reported p-value is equal to .05, which means that the researcher used a significance level of .05. Since the null hypothesis would be rejected if the sample mean was significantly different (either greater or less) from the population mean, we can assume that it is a two-tailed test. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

A Researcher Reports That Stress Levels Among Nurses Are Higher