In a study investigating screen time and well-being, a researcher explored whether there was a correlation between the number of hours spent on smartphones per day and self-reported life satisfaction ratings.
The researcher randomly selected 19 participants from a local college.
Each participant recorded their daily smartphone screen use (in hours) and rated their overall life satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 indicates high satisfaction).
The researcher proposed a non-directional (two-tailed) hypothesis, stating that there would be a correlation between daily smartphone hours and life satisfaction ratings.
The researcher chose to use the 5% level of significance and calculated a Spearman's rho correlation coefficient of 0.468.
Table 1 Critical values of Spearman's rho (rsr_srs)
| Level of significance for a one-tailed test | 0.05 | 0.025 |
|---|---|---|
| Level of significance for a two-tailed test | 0.10 | 0.05 |
| N = 17 | 0.414 | 0.485 |
| N = 18 | 0.401 | 0.472 |
| N = 19 | 0.391 | 0.460 |
| N = 20 | 0.380 | 0.447 |
| N = 21 | 0.370 | 0.435 |
Note: The calculated value of rho must be greater than or equal to the critical value to be significant.
Identify the appropriate critical value from Table 1. Explain your choice.
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.