Question

A study is conducted to see the effectiveness of volume levels of commercials. In the graph given below, values of mean effectiveness (dependent variable) are presented on the Y axis, and three levels of volume, namely, soft, medium and loud are presented on the X axis. The graph shows the relationship between volume and mean effectiveness for males in the continuous line and for females in the dashed line. Which of the following interpretation(s) is/are correct from the graph? 

• A. A linear relationship exists for males and a nonlinear relationship for females.
• B. The effect of increasing volume on effectiveness depends on whether the participant is a male or a female.
• C. No interaction effect is seen.
• D. A linear relationship exists for both males and females.

Hint:

In interaction plots, non-parallel lines indicate an interaction effect between independent variables

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B

Step 1: Examining the pattern for males.
The solid line representing males shows a steady increase in mean effectiveness from soft to medium to loud volumeThis consistent upward trend indicates a linear relationship between volume and effectiveness for males
Step 2: Examining the pattern for females.
The dashed line representing females increases from soft to medium volume but then decreases from medium to loud volumeThis rise-and-fall pattern indicates a nonlinear relationship between volume and effectiveness for females
Step 3: Assessing interaction effects.
The lines for males and females are not parallelThe effect of volume on effectiveness differs across genderFor example, loud volume increases effectiveness for males but decreases it for femalesThis indicates an interaction between volume level and gender
Step 4: Evaluating the options.
Option (A) is correct because males show a linear trend while females show a nonlinear trend
Option (B) is correct because the effect of volume clearly depends on gender
Option (C) is incorrect because a clear interaction effect is present
Option (D) is incorrect because females do not show a linear relationship
Step 5: Final conclusion.
The correct interpretations from the graph are (A) and (B)