29. A researcher suspected that, because people engage in social comparison, viewing pictures of relatively unattractive people of the same sex as oneself should have a positive effect on one's self-esteem. A pilot test was carried out to identify a set of pictures of relatively unattractive people, and a set of pictures of people with average looks. Eight subjects were randomly assigned to view either the pictures of relatively unattractive people or of people with average looks. After exposure to the pictures, the researcher measured participants' self-esteem using a validated measure.
Below are the raw self-esteem scores for each participant:
Unattractive condition
x1 (Self-esteem scores)
6
5
5
3
4
5
4
3
Average looks condition
x2 (Self-esteem scores)
5
3
4
5
4
3
A: Calculate an independent samples t-test using the formulas below. Treat the research hypothesis as a one-tailed hypothesis (because the researcher predicted that viewing pictures of relatively unattractive people would increase self-esteem compared to viewing pictures of people with average looks). (6 points) You'll find a t-table in the exams folder on blackboard.
Degrees of freedom = (n1 - 1) + (n2 - 1)
Report your calculated t here:
Report your Degrees of freedom here:
B: Based on your calculations, did the results of the study support the researcher's hypothesis? Why or why not? (3 points)