Name _____________________________________ PSYCH 248 S01L1

Computer Assignment 2: Comparing means using t-tests

This assignment will give you practice choosing the appropriate t-test to use for research
designs that all involve comparing means. You will need to enter the data, run the proper
analyses to test the hypothesis, and write a conclusion for each problem stating whether or not
the samples differed significantly and summarizing what that means. To run all 3 types of t-test
click under ANALYZE, COMPARE MEANS, select the t-test and specify the variables.

Study 1. Spatial skills & brain injuries

On a spatial skills task, normative data reveal that people typically get µ = 15 correct solutions.
A rehabilitation psychologist tests n = 8 individuals who have brain injuries in the right cerebral
hemisphere. Use the data presented below to determine whether right-hemisphere damage has
significantly reduced performance on the spatial skills task. Lower score indicates poorer spatial
performance. Test whether or not the performance of this sample is significantly lower than the
normal population using the proper t-test. Here are the data:

Spatial skills scores: 12, 13, 13, 11, 14, 15, 13, 14

Identify the:
Indep. variable__________________________ Dep.variable__________________________

Is it one-tailed or two-tailed? ______________

State Hypotheses mathematically: H0: H1:

State Hypotheses in words:

H0: ______________________________________________________________________

H1: ______________________________________________________________________

Which t-test should you use? __________________________________________________

Are equal variances assumed? Circle: YES / NO / N/A

t = ____________________________ p = _____________________________

Run the analysis, then answer the following questions in short paragraphs in a separate
document:

1. Why did you use the t-test you chose?

2. Write a paragraph in APA-style to summarize the results of this study. Report the
mean(s) and standard deviation(s) in addition to the t and p values.

Copy and paste the relevant t-test output from SPSS in the other document.
Computer Assignment 2 PSYCH 248 S01L1

Study 2. Distraction & Performance

To test the effect of visual distraction on reaction time, a researcher tests a group of 13 subjects
under two conditions. In the control condition, the subjects have to press a key as soon as
possible when a target stimulus appears on a blank computer screen. In the experimental
condition, the subjects are given the same task, but the target stimulus always appears
surrounded by other distractor stimuli. Reaction time is measured in milliseconds in both
conditions. The data are below. Test whether distracters affected reaction time using a t-test.

Distractors absent Distractors present

320 380
360 368
404 405
393 415
387 382
364 368
325 392
318 337
305 375
380 391
346 364
361 370
318 351

Identify the:
Indep. variable__________________________ Dep.variable__________________________

Is it one-tailed or two-tailed? ______________

State Hypotheses mathematically: H0: H1:

State Hypotheses in words:

H0: ______________________________________________________________________

H1: ______________________________________________________________________

Which t-test should you use? __________________________________________________

Are equal variances assumed? Circle: YES / NO / N/A

t = ____________________________ p = _____________________________

Run the analysis, then answer the following questions in short paragraphs in a separate
document:

1. Why did you use the t-test you chose?

2. Write a paragraph in APA-style to summarize the results of this study. Report the
mean(s) and standard deviation(s) in addition to the t and p values.

Copy and paste the relevant t-test output from SPSS in the other document.
Computer Assignment 2 PSYCH 248 S01L1

Study 3. Prof. Robinson hypothesized that a student’s work load may affect his/her grades and
attendance. She collected data on GPA, absences (# classes missed during semester) and
number of hours students were working for pay. Please use the data “GPAwork” to test two
hypotheses – do students working more than 20 hours a week differ significantly from those
who work less than 10 hours a week on GPA and number of absences? Run both t-tests in the
same analysis testing for a difference between the groups on both DVs at α = .05.

Hypothesis 1:

Identify the:
Indep. variable__________________________ Dep.variable__________________________

Is it one-tailed or two-tailed? ______________

State Hypotheses mathematically: H0: H1:

State Hypotheses in words:

H0: ______________________________________________________________________

H1: ______________________________________________________________________

Which t-test should you use? __________________________________________________

Are equal variances assumed? Circle: YES / NO / N/A

t = ____________________________ p = _____________________________

Hypothesis 2:

Identify the:
Indep. variable__________________________ Dep.variable__________________________

Is it one-tailed or two-tailed? ______________

State Hypotheses mathematically: H0: H1:

State Hypotheses in words:

H0: ______________________________________________________________________

H1: ______________________________________________________________________

Which t-test should you use? __________________________________________________

Are equal variances assumed? Circle: YES / NO / N/A

t = ____________________________ p = _____________________________
Computer Assignment 2 PSYCH 248 S01L1

Run the analysis, then answer the following questions in short paragraphs in a separate
document. Copy and paste the relevant t-test output from SPSS in the other document.

1. Why did you use the t-test you chose?

2. What are the results of the Levene’s test for homogeneity of variance? Are variances
equal for both? What does this tell us?
3. What are the results of your hypothesis test for GPA and for absences? Write a
paragraph describing the conclusions of the study including both t-tests in APA style.
Also include means and standard deviations.

After running the t-test, create graphs to show the means and standard errors of both DVs using
GRAPH, legacy, ERROR BARS, SIMPLE, summary of groups of cases, bars represent
confidence interval for mean. Please include a title that makes the graph easy to understand.
Copy and paste the graphs here.

4. Finally, in a last paragraph, explain how the confidence interval graphs reinforce the
results found in the hypothesis tests. What does it mean to have a great deal of overlap
between the groups? What would you expect to find if you did the study again with a
different sample of students?

Please upload your written responses with SPSS outputs to Blackboard. You do NOT need to
turn in this worksheet. It is here to guide you.