An occupational psychologist conducted a study to investigate the impact of a mindfulness mobile application on the subjective stress levels of software developers.
The sample consisted of 70 software developers. 35 developers were assigned to the 'MindFlow' group, where they used the app daily for 10 minutes over a four-week period, and 35 developers were assigned to the 'control' group, where they did not use any mindfulness app.
At the end of the four weeks, each participant completed a standardized Subjective Stress Questionnaire (SSQ), which yielded a total score on a scale from 0 to 40. Higher scores on the SSQ indicated higher levels of perceived stress. The questionnaire produced ordinal level data.
The psychologist wants to conduct a statistical test to determine whether there is a significant difference in the subjective stress scores between the two groups of developers.
Identify an appropriate statistical test that the psychologist could use to analyse the subjective stress scores in this study. Explain three reasons for your choice in the context of this study.
121 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Inferential testing (A-level only). Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.