The high cost of medical care makes it imperative that hospitals operate efficiently and effectively. As part of a larger study, patients leaving a hospital were surveyed. They were asked how satisfied they were with the treatment they received. The responses were recorded with a measure of the degree of severity of their illness (as determined by the admitting physician) and the length of stay. These data are recorded in the following way:

Column 1: Satisfaction level (1 = very unsatisfied; 2 = somewhat unsatisfied; 3 = neither satisfied nor dissatisfied; 4 = somewhat satisfied; 5 = very satisfied) Column 2: Severity of illness (1 = least severe and 10 = most severe)

Column 3: Number of days in hospital

a. Is the satisfaction level affected by the severity of illness?

b. Is the satisfaction level higher for patients who stay for shorter periods of time?