In a survey, researchers test whether eating breakfast in the morning is associated with a student’s gender. Which test is used?

In a survey, researchers test whether eating breakfast in the morning is associated with a student’s gender. Which test is used?

• A. Chi-square test of independence
• B. Pearson correlation
• C. Paired t-test
• D. Fisher's exact test

Answer: (A)

Testing the relationship between two categorical variables: breakfast eating (yes or no) and gender (male or female). The chi-square test of independence is built for this situation because it compares observed frequencies in a contingency table to what would be expected if the variables were unrelated. If the observed counts differ enough from the expected counts, it indicates an association, meaning breakfast habits vary by gender. Other options don’t fit: Pearson correlation handles continuous variables, a paired t-test compares means in related samples, and Fisher’s exact test is an exact alternative for small samples to the chi-square test.

Testing the relationship between two categorical variables: breakfast eating (yes or no) and gender (male or female). The chi-square test of independence is built for this situation because it compares observed frequencies in a contingency table to what would be expected if the variables were unrelated. If the observed counts differ enough from the expected counts, it indicates an association, meaning breakfast habits vary by gender. Other options don’t fit: Pearson correlation handles continuous variables, a paired t-test compares means in related samples, and Fisher’s exact test is an exact alternative for small samples to the chi-square test.