Question

A recent study posed the question about whether Japanese managers are more motivated than American managers. A randomly selected sample of each was administered the Sarnoff Survey of Attitudes Toward Life (SSATL), which measures motivation for upward mobility. The SSATL scores are summarized below.

American Japanese
Sample size 211 100
Mean SSATL Score 65.75 79.83
Population Std Dev 11.07 6.41
Judging from the way the data were collected, which test would likely be most appropriate?

A. Related samples t-test for mean difference

B. Pooled-variance t-test for the difference in means

C. Independent samples Z-test for the difference in means

D. Related samples Z-test for mean difference

Answer 1

The most suitable statistical test for comparing the motivation levels between Japanese and American managers, based on the independence of samples and known standard deviations, would be an Independent samples Z-test for the difference in means. Option C is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

When choosing the most appropriate test for comparing the motivation levels between Japanese managers and American managers, as measured by the Sarnoff Survey of Attitudes Toward Life (SSATL), we have to consider the data provided. We have two independent samples with their respective sizes, means, and population standard deviations.

Given this setup, using a Pooled-variance t-test for the difference in means would not be appropriate as the population standard deviations are known. A Related samples t-test or a Related samples Z-test would not be applicable since the samples are independent, not paired or matched.

Thus, an Independent samples Z-test for the difference in means is most appropriate since the central limit theorem will allow us to use the Z-test given the large sample sizes and since we know the population standard deviations.