UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences: Department of Psychology
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PYC3714: Psychological Research
Assignment 2 | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
PYC3714
Module Code:
Psychological Research
Module Name:
Hypothesis Testing: t-test, Correlation and
Essay Topic:
Chi-Square
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
PYC3714/202/2
Reference:
50
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for PYC3714, UNISA 2026
, UNISA | PYC3714 Assignment 2: Inferential Statistics
Question 1: Independent Samples t-test on Tutorial Attendance
The lecturer’s question of whether extra tutorial attendance raises exam performance calls for a
comparison of two independent, unrelated groups of students on a continuous outcome variable,
which is the classic application of the independent-samples t-test (Field, 2018).
1.1 Directional Research Hypothesis
Students who attend extra tutorial sessions will obtain higher exam scores than students who do
not attend extra tutorial sessions.
1.2 Formal Statistical Hypotheses
Let µ1 denote the population mean exam score of students who attend extra tutorials, and µ2
denote the population mean exam score of students who do not.
• H0 : µ1 ≤ µ2 (extra tutorial attendance does not raise mean exam performance)
• H1 : µ1 > µ2 (extra tutorial attendance raises mean exam performance)
1.3 Descriptive Statistics
Table 1: Descriptive statistics for the two tutorial-attendance groups
Group n ΣX Mean SD
Extra tutorials 10 787 78.70 11.06
No extra tutorials 10 471 47.10 9.75
(X − X̄)2
P
The standard deviation for each group is obtained from the sample variance, =s2 .
n−1
For the tutorial group, (X − X̄)2 = 1100.10, giving s21 = 1100.10/9 = 122.23 and s1 = 11.06. For
P
the no-tutorial group, (X − X̄)2 = 854.90, giving s22 = 854.90/9 = 95.00 and s2 = 9.75.
P
1.4 Appropriate Statistical Test
An independent-samples t-test is appropriate. The two groups (tutorial attenders and non-attenders)
consist of different, unrelated students, the dependent variable (exam score) is measured on an
interval/ratio scale, and the research question compares the means of exactly two independent
groups (Field, 2018).
Page 2 of 9
College of Human Sciences: Department of Psychology
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
PYC3714: Psychological Research
Assignment 2 | Semester 2, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
PYC3714
Module Code:
Psychological Research
Module Name:
Hypothesis Testing: t-test, Correlation and
Essay Topic:
Chi-Square
Assignment 2
Assignment Number:
PYC3714/202/2
Reference:
50
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for PYC3714, UNISA 2026
, UNISA | PYC3714 Assignment 2: Inferential Statistics
Question 1: Independent Samples t-test on Tutorial Attendance
The lecturer’s question of whether extra tutorial attendance raises exam performance calls for a
comparison of two independent, unrelated groups of students on a continuous outcome variable,
which is the classic application of the independent-samples t-test (Field, 2018).
1.1 Directional Research Hypothesis
Students who attend extra tutorial sessions will obtain higher exam scores than students who do
not attend extra tutorial sessions.
1.2 Formal Statistical Hypotheses
Let µ1 denote the population mean exam score of students who attend extra tutorials, and µ2
denote the population mean exam score of students who do not.
• H0 : µ1 ≤ µ2 (extra tutorial attendance does not raise mean exam performance)
• H1 : µ1 > µ2 (extra tutorial attendance raises mean exam performance)
1.3 Descriptive Statistics
Table 1: Descriptive statistics for the two tutorial-attendance groups
Group n ΣX Mean SD
Extra tutorials 10 787 78.70 11.06
No extra tutorials 10 471 47.10 9.75
(X − X̄)2
P
The standard deviation for each group is obtained from the sample variance, =s2 .
n−1
For the tutorial group, (X − X̄)2 = 1100.10, giving s21 = 1100.10/9 = 122.23 and s1 = 11.06. For
P
the no-tutorial group, (X − X̄)2 = 854.90, giving s22 = 854.90/9 = 95.00 and s2 = 9.75.
P
1.4 Appropriate Statistical Test
An independent-samples t-test is appropriate. The two groups (tutorial attenders and non-attenders)
consist of different, unrelated students, the dependent variable (exam score) is measured on an
interval/ratio scale, and the research question compares the means of exactly two independent
groups (Field, 2018).
Page 2 of 9
