A researcher conducts a study to investigate whether there is a correlation between the number of hours spent on social media and self-reported anxiety scores in a sample of 25 participants. They calculate an observed Spearman's rho value of rs=0.385r_s = 0.385rs=0.385. Using a significance level of p≤0.05 p \le 0.05\,p≤0.05 for a two-tailed hypothesis, the critical value is 0.396. Which of the following statements correctly describes the significance of this result and the role of the critical value?
The result is significant because the observed value (0.3850.3850.385) is less than the critical value (0.3960.3960.396), which is the requirement for Spearman's rho.
The result is not significant because for Spearman's rho, the observed value must be greater than or equal to the critical value (0.3960.3960.396), meaning the null hypothesis is accepted.
The result is significant because the critical value represents the maximum probability of a Type I error (0.3960.3960.396), and the observed value is below this threshold.
The result is not significant because for Spearman's rho, the observed value must be less than or equal to the critical value (0.3960.3960.396) to reject the null hypothesis.
644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.