Question

In general, if the variance of the difference scores increases, then the value of the t statistic will _____.

a. increase (move farther toward the tail of the distribution).
b. decrease (move toward 0 at the center of the distribution).
c. stay the same - the t statistic is not affected by the variance of the difference scores.
d. may increase or may decrease. There is no consistent relationship between variance and the size of the t statistic.

Answer 1

Answer: B. decrease (move toward 0 at the center of the distribution).

Explanation: The variance of the sample will remain about the same, but with some random variation. After all, it is an estimate of the variance of the population. The variance of an estimate will usually decrease.