Question

Researchers published a study that concluded that listening to Mozart makes you more attractive. Several different labs tried to reproduce the results of the original Mozart study and did not get the same results. Which of the following most likely happened?

a) The original researchers made a Type-I error and were incorrect when they rejected the null hypothesis.
b) The original researchers made a Type-I error and were incorrect when they accepted the null hypothesis.
c) The original researchers made a Type-II error and were incorrect when they rejected the null hypothesis.
d) The original researchers made a Type-II error and were incorrect when they accepted the null hypothesis.

Answer 1

The correct outcome is most likely a) The original researchers made a Type-I error by incorrectly rejecting a true null hypothesis, as replication studies did not support the original findings.

Step-by-step explanation:

If several different laboratories have attempted to reproduce the results of the original Mozart study and did not get the same results, the most likely outcome that occurred is a) The original researchers made a Type-I error and were incorrect when they rejected the null hypothesis. This means that they incorrectly concluded that listening to Mozart makes you more attractive, when in fact, there may not be a true effect.

A Type-I error occurs when the null hypothesis is actually true, but it is rejected. This is different from a Type-II error, which happens when a false null hypothesis is not rejected, meaning researchers missed finding a true effect. In this case, because the replication studies did not support the original findings, it suggests that the original study's rejection of the null hypothesis was likely a Type-I error.