Siegel (1993) reported a study in which she measured the effect of pet ownership on the use of medical care by the elderly. She interviewed 938 elderly adults. One of her results was re-ported as: “After demographics and health status were controlled for, subjects with pets had fewer total doctor contacts during the one-year period than those without pets (beta = –.07, p < .05)” (p. 164).
a. State the null and alternative hypotheses Siegel was testing. Be careful to distinguish between a population and a sample.
b. State the conclusion you would make. Be explicit about the wording.