Short Answer

A clinical researcher compares two therapeutic techniques and finds a statistically significant difference, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis. If the researcher only reports that the null hypothesis was rejected, apply the "uninformativeness" critique to explain what critical information is missing from their conclusion.

Question: A clinical researcher compares two therapeutic techniques and finds a statistically significant difference, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis. If the researcher only reports that the null hypothesis was rejected, apply the "uninformativeness" critique to explain what critical information is missing from their conclusion.

Sample answer: By only reporting that the null hypothesis was rejected, the researcher merely confirms that a nonzero difference exists between the two techniques. The critical information missing is the actual strength (or magnitude) and nature of the difference between the techniques, which rejecting the null does not reveal.

Key points:

  • Rejecting the null only confirms a nonzero difference exists between the techniques.
  • The test fails to provide the actual strength or magnitude of the difference.
  • Details about the nature of the difference between the techniques are missing.

Rubric: To receive full credit, the response must: 1. Apply the critique to show that rejecting the null only indicates that the difference is not exactly zero. 2. Identify that the missing information is the actual strength, magnitude, or nature of the difference between the two therapeutic techniques.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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