Question

A study of people from the general population, aged 40 to 60 years, aims to find whether there are differing levels of depression between genders. Assume that depression scores are normally distributed and pick the most appropriate null hypothesis for this aim from the options given below.

a) There is no difference in depression levels between genders.

b) Depression levels are higher in males.

c) Depression levels are higher in females.

d) Depression levels vary significantly across age groups.

Answer 1

The optimal null hypothesis for examining if there is a variance in depression scores between genders is that there is no difference in depression levels between genders. This neutral stance is pivotal for conducting statistical tests.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most appropriate null hypothesis for a study aimed at finding whether there are differing levels of depression between genders would be (a) There is no difference in depression levels between genders. This statement serves as a baseline assumption allowing for statistical testing to determine if there is an evidence to suggest a difference. If the study's results show significant differences, then researchers could reject the null hypothesis in favor of an alternative hypothesis, which might suggest that one gender has higher levels of depression.