A researcher claims that the mean resting pulse rate of all college basketball players in the United States is less than the mean resting pulse rate of all professional basketball players in the United States. The resting pulse rates of a random sample of 115 college basketball players were measured as were the resting pulse rates of a random sample of 80 professional basketball players. The mean resting pulse rates of the two groups were compared.
In this study, the response variable is
A) the level of basketball played (college or professional).
B) the number of players studied in each group.
C) the resting pulse rate.
D) confounded with the placebo effect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The response variable in this study is the resting pulse rate of basketball players, as this is what is being measured and compared between the two groups (college and professional). A is incorrect as it is a predictor variable, not the response variable. B is the sample size, which is not the response variable. D is not relevant to this study as there is no mention of a placebo or confounding factors.

A Researcher Claims That the Mean Resting Pulse Rate of All