A nutrition store in mall is selling....

Question

A nutrition store in the mall is selling “Memory Booster,” which is a concoction of herbs and minerals that is intended to improve memory performance, but there is no good reason to think it couldn't possibly do the opposite. To test the effectiveness of the herbal mix, a researcher obtains a sample of 8 participants and asks each person to take the suggested dosage each day for 4 weeks. At the end of the 4-week period, each individual takes a standardized memory test. In the general population, the standardized test is known to have a mean of μ = 7. (Set the significance level è a = .05)

Answer 1

Hi Jonathan R., where is the control (placebo) group? Not a valid scientific study plan! Or, if you wanted to use this group without a control, you should test them BEFORE and AFTER the treatment. No sign of that. Also, you've been given μ, but not σ, for the general population results. Therefore, results could never be significant! (You need to use both average and standard deviation in your assessment). Unless all participants die, that would ordinarily be considered significant, though not perhaps these days.

Maybe (just maybe?) you didn't include all the original question as it was assigned?

-- Cheers, -- Mr. d.