In a 2016 study by Topta published in Academic Journals, a music educator conducted research to determine

In a 2016 study by Toptaş published in Academic Journals, a music educator conducted research to determine if students could successfully memorize a piano piece using only short periods of daily practice (Toptaş 2016). In addition the researcher was interested in learning if short periods of daily practice would be more effective in memorizing the piece than one long period of practice. The study group consisted of 12 university students who had studied piano for 2 years. Students were shown a piece of music that they had not seen before and were given one hour to memorize the piece. 

Students were then randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group practiced the piece for 15 minutes on four consecutive days. The control group practiced the piece for 60 minutes on the fifth day after their first exposure to the piece. Students were given a pre- and posttest performance assessment. A higher ranking indicates greater proficiency. Tables showing some of the data analysis from the study are provided.

The Mann-Whitney U-Test result of the post-test scores by groups.

The Wilcoxin Signed-Rank test result of the pre-test and post-test scores by the experiment group

a. What statistical test was used to determine if there a difference in performance between the experimental and control groups? Explain why this was an appropriate test to use. Based on the results provided, what conclusion would the researcher draw from this analysis?

b. What statistical test was sued to determine if short periods of daily practice was an effective method to learn this piece of music? Explain why this was an appropriate test to use. Based on the results provided, what conclusion would the researcher draw from this analysis?

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Rank Rank Groups N Average Total U P Experiment 6 9.50 57.00 0.000 -2.887 0.004 Control 3.50 21.00 Total 12