Final answer:
The most appropriate statistical test for this scenario would be a paired/dependent t-test (two-tail). This test allows for a comparison between two conditions within the same group of students and will determine if there is a significant difference in memory scores between the music and silence conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most appropriate statistical test for this scenario would be a paired/dependent t-test (two-tail). This test is used when the same group of participants is measured twice, under different conditions. In this case, the students were measured on their memory scores after studying in both the music and silence conditions.
The paired/dependent t-test is suitable here because it allows for a comparison between the two conditions within the same group of students. It will determine whether there is a significant difference in memory scores between the music and silence conditions.
To conduct a paired/dependent t-test, the scores of each student in both conditions are paired together, and the mean and standard deviation of the differences are calculated. The t-test is then used to assess whether the mean difference is significantly different from zero.