38. Which factors are relevant to the time a consumer spends looking at a product on the shelf prior to selection? The article Effects of Base Price upon Search Behavior of Consumers in a Supermarket

(J. Economic Psych., 2003: 637—652) reported the following data on elapsed time (sec) for fabric softener purchasers and washing-up liquid purchasers;

the former product is signi cantly more expensive than the latter. These products were chosen because they are similar with respect to allocated shelf space and number of alternative brands.

Sample Sample Sample Product Size Mean SD Fabric softener 15 30.47 19.15 Washing-up liquid 19 26.53 15.37

a. What if any assumptions are needed before an inferential procedure can be used to compare true average elapsed times?

b. If just the two sample means had been reported, would they provide persuasive evidence for a signi cant difference between true average elapsed times for the two products?

c. Carry out an appropriate test of signi cance and state your conclusion