Question

A random sample of high school seniors took a literacy test before graduation. A comparison of scores for the test showed that women scored significantly higher on average (p-value = 0.017) than men on the literacy test. What does the p-value in this statement tell us?

If there were actually no difference in the mean literacy scores for all men and women at the high school, the probability of observing a difference between the two group means as large or larger than we did is only 0.017. T

he probability that the mean literacy score for women who are high school seniors is lower than for men who are high school seniors is only 0.017.

In only 7.7% of all possible samples of high school seniors, the mean literacy score for women will be lower than for men, indicating statistical significance.

Only 1.7% of women have a mean literacy score as low or lower than men; the remaining 98.3% scored higher than men.

Answer 1

p - value represents the probability of observing the difference as extreme as the sample mean differences assuming that null hypothesis is true i.e. there is no difference in the population means. Hence,

p - value indicates us If there were actually no difference in the mean literacy scores for all men and women at the high school, the probability of observing a difference between the two group means as large or larger than we did is only 0.017.

Option A is correct.