Question

In planning a study of the birth weights of babies whose mothers did not see a doctor before delivery, a researcher states the hypotheses as

H0: x = 1000 grams
Ha: x < 1000 grams

What's wrong with this?

a. Hypotheses are statements about parameters, not statistics. The research question is not about the sample mean, x, but should be about the population mean, μ.

b. Hypotheses are statements to test reasonable assumptions. The 1000 grams is too low so the alternative hypothesis should state x > 1000.

c. Hypotheses are statements about values. The units of "grams" should not be included.

d. Hypotheses are statements about finding differences. The alternative hypothesis should be two-sided and should state x ≠ 1000 grams.
a

Answer 1

A. Hypotheses are statements about parameters, not statistics. The research question is not about the sample mean, x, but should be about the population mean, μ.

Explanation:

From option a through d, the best option is option a.

This is so because, hypothesis deals directly with parameters and should be stated with such.

The correct hypothesis would be

H0: μ = 1000 grams

Ha: μ < 1000 grams

The reason for this is that the objective of hypothesis is compare the mean of the population not the mean of the sample.

The mean of the population is stated in terms of μ and so the hypothesis should be stated in such terms