Discussion:
Q1: Why is it important to know the standard deviation for a given sample? What do researchers learn about a normal distribution from knowledge of the standard deviation? A sample of n=20 has a mean of M = 40. If the standard deviation is s=5, would a score of X= 55 be considered an extreme value? Why or why not?
Q2: Define and thoroughly explain the terms null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. Can you expalin how are they used in hypothesis testing?
Q3: What is meant by the term standard error. Why is the standard error important in research using sample distributions?
Q4: Consider the following scenario: A random sample obtained from a population has a mean of µ=100 and a standard deviation of σ = 20. The error between the sample mean and the population mean for a sample of n = 16 is 5 points and the error between a sample men and population mean for a sample of n = 100 is 2 points. Explain the difference in the standard error for the two samples.