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. Econ. Psychol. 2003: 637–652) reported the following data on elapsed time (sec) for fabric softener purchasers and washing-up liquid purchasers; the former product is significantly more expensive than the latter. These products were chosen because they are similar with respect to allocated shelf space and number of alternative brands.

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 significant difference between true average elapsed times for the two products?

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

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Product Fabric softener Washing-up liquid Sample size 15 19 Sample mean 30.47 26.53 Sample SD 19.15 15.37