Answer:
The confidence interval will be computed using either the Z or t distribution for the selected confidence level and the standard error of the point estimate. The use of Z or t again depends on whether the sample sizes are large (n1 > 30 and n2 > 30) or small. The standard error of the point estimate will incorporate the variability in the outcome of interest in each of the comparison groups. If we assume equal variances between groups, we can pool the information on variability (sample variances) to generate an estimate of the population variability. Therefore, the standard error (SE) of the difference in sample means is the pooled estimate of the common standard deviation (Sp) (assuming that the variances in the populations are similar) computed as the weighted average of the standard deviations in the samples, i.e.:
Explanation: