Case Study

Based on the researcher's one-way ANOVA design, interpret what the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis would assert regarding the three therapeutic interventions in this specific scenario.

Case context: A clinical psychologist is using a one-way ANOVA to evaluate whether three different therapeutic interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Therapy) lead to different average reductions in anxiety symptom scores among adult patients.

Question: Based on the researcher's one-way ANOVA design, interpret what the null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis would assert regarding the three therapeutic interventions in this specific scenario.

Sample answer: The null hypothesis asserts that the population mean anxiety reductions for all three therapy groups are perfectly equal. The alternative hypothesis asserts that the population mean anxiety reductions are not all equal, indicating that at least one of the therapeutic interventions produces an average reduction in anxiety that differs significantly from the others.

Key points:

  • Null hypothesis claims equal population mean anxiety reductions across all three therapeutic groups
  • Alternative hypothesis claims the population mean anxiety reductions are not all equal across the therapies
  • Alternative hypothesis indicates at least one therapy's mean reduction in anxiety differs significantly from the rest

Rubric: Full credit is given for translating the general definitions of one-way ANOVA hypotheses into the specific context of the anxiety therapy case. The response must clearly state that the null claims equal average symptom reduction across all three therapies, and the alternative claims at least one therapy yields a significantly different average reduction.

0

1

Updated 2026-05-27

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

KPU

Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

Related