Essay

Describe the specific steps of null hypothesis testing logic that Mehl and colleagues followed when investigating whether men and women differ in talkativeness, as well as their final conclusion based on their sample's effect size.

Question: Describe the specific steps of null hypothesis testing logic that Mehl and colleagues followed when investigating whether men and women differ in talkativeness, as well as their final conclusion based on their sample's effect size.

Sample answer: First, Mehl and colleagues assumed the null hypothesis was true, meaning there is no difference in talkativeness between men and women in the population. Second, they evaluated how likely it was to find their sample's small difference (d=0.06d = 0.06) under this assumption. Third, because finding this result was fairly likely if the null hypothesis were true, they decided to retain the null hypothesis and concluded there was no evidence of a sex difference in the population.

Key points:

  • Assume the null hypothesis is true (no population difference in talkativeness).
  • Evaluate the likelihood of finding the sample difference (d=0.06d = 0.06).
  • Decide to retain the null hypothesis because the sample difference was fairly likely under the null hypothesis.
  • Conclude there is no evidence of a sex difference in the population.

Rubric: The answer must identify the initial assumption of the null hypothesis, the evaluation of the likelihood of the sample finding (d=0.06d = 0.06), the decision to retain the null hypothesis, and the final conclusion that there is no evidence of a sex difference in the population.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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