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GCU HLT362V
Week 1

Homewor
k EX#16
Answers for
EXERCISE 16 page
122 (Questions 1- 4
are optional)

 Mean and
Standard Deviation

Exercise 16:
Mean and
Standard
Deviation

1. The
researchers
analyzed the
data they
collected as
though it were
at whatlevel
of measuremen
t?a. Nominalb.

Ordinalc.
Interval/ratiod.
Experimental
Answer:

c.
The
researchers

analyzed the
data as though
it were at the
interval/ratiolev
elsince they
calculated
means (the
measure of
central

tendency that
is appropriate
onlyfor interval
/ratio level
data) and
standard
deviations (the
measure of
dispersion

for interval/rati
o data) to
describe their
study
variables.
2. What was
the mean
posttest
empowerment

score for the

control group?
Answer:
Mean = 97.12.
3. Compare the
mean baseline
and posttest
depression

scores of
theexperimenta
lgroup. Was
this an
expected
finding?
Provide a
rationale for
your answer.

Answers may
vary.
The
experimental
group subjects
scored lower
on the
depressionpost

test (mean =
13.36 vs. the
baseline score
of mean =
14.00),
meaning that
theywereless
depressed after
the completion

of the
empowerment
program. This
was
anexpectedfind
ing, because
the researchers
hypothesized
that the

empowerment
program
wouldbebenefi
cial to ESRD
patients and
result in a
decrease in
their
depression

scores.Howeve
r,the difference
in the
depression
baseline and
posttest means
for the
experimental
groupwas only

0.64, which is
less than what
might have
been expected.
4. Compare the
mean baseline
and posttest
depression
scores of the

controlgroup.
Dothese scores
strengthen or
weaken the
validity of the
research
results?
Provide

arationale for
your answer.
Answer:
The mean
baseline and
posttest
depression
scores of the

control group
wereidentical.
Both means
equaled 10.40,
which indicates
that there was
no change in
thelevel of
depression of

the control
group subjects
from baseline
to posttest.
This
resultstrengthe
ns the validity
of the study
findings,

indicating that
the
empowerment
programresulte
d in a decrease
in the
depression
scores for the

experimental
group.
2

5. Which
groups test
scores had the
least amount of
variability or

dispersion?
Providea
rationale for
your answer.
Answer:
The
experimental
groups

empowerment
posttest scores
had the
smallestamoun
tof dispersion
or variability,
as indicated by
the smallest
SD

of 7.28.
6. Did the
empowerment
variable or selfcare selfefficacy
variable
demonstrateth
egreatest

amount of
dispersion?
Provide a
rationale for
your answer.
Copyright
2007 by
Saunders, an
imprint of

Elsevier
Inc.Instructors
Answer Key 162
Answer:
The
experimental
groups

baseline selfcare selfefficacy scores

had
thegreatestdisp
ersion as
evidenced by
the largest
SD

of 14.88.
7. The mean (
X

) is a measure
of
__________
___
___ __
___

____________
_
of adistribution
while the
SD
is a measure
of
____
_____

____________
of its
scores.Both
X

and
SD
are
____________
_

__
__
statistics.
Answer:
The mean (
X

) is a measure
of

central
tendency
of a
distribution
while
SD

isameasure of
dispersion

of its scores.
Both
X

and
SD

are
descriptive
statistics.

8. What was
the mean
severity for
renal disease
for the
research
subjects?
Whatwasthe
dispersion or

variability of
the renal
disease
severity
scores? Did
the
severityscores
vary
significantly

between the
control and the
experimental
groups?
Isthisimportant
? Provide a
rationale for
your answer.
Answer:

The mean
severity score
for renal
disease was
6.74 and was
provided in
theRelevant
Study Results.

The dispersion
of the renal
disease
severity scores
was
SD

=2.97, with the

range of
severity scores

being 010.
There was no
significant
differenceinren
al disease
severity scores
for the control
and the
experimental

groups as
indicated inthe
Relevant Study
Results. It is
important to
indicate that
the research
subjects
weresimilar in

demographic
characteristics
at the start of
the study, and
the differences
notedin the
study variables
are assumed to
be due to the

treatment and
not to
differences
inthegroups at
the start of the
study.
9. Which
variable was
least affected

by the
empowerment
program?
Provide
arationale for
your answer.
Answer:

The subjects
mean or
average
depression
scores showed
the least
changeascomp
ared to their
baseline values

(only 0.64
points as
compared to
6.64 points
for empowerme
nt and 6.44
points for selfcare selfefficacy).

However, it is
important
tonotethat the
mean score for
the depression
scale was
lower than for
the
empowerment

andself-care
self-efficacy
scales.
3
10. Was it
important for
the researchers
to include the

total means
and
SD
s for thestudy
variables in
Table 2 to
promote the
readers
understanding

of the
studyresults?
Provide a
rationale for
your answer.
Answers may
vary.

No, it was not

important to
the readers
understanding
to have thetotal
means and
SD

s for the study

variables. The

main focus of
the table was
todescribe(usin
g
X

and
SD

) the study
variables for

the
experimental
and control
groups.
Althoughitis
interesting to
have the total
sample means
and

SD

s, these do not
add to the
overallundersta
nding of the
information
presented in
this study.

These total
means and
SD

s for study
variables are
not useful in
determining
sample size for
future studies

or
for conducting
meta-analyses
of several
studies
results.Copyrig
ht 2007 by
Saunders, an
imprint of

Elsevier
Inc.Copyright
2007 by
Saunders, an
imprint of
Elsevier Inc.
Grove:
Statistics for

Health Care
Research