Findings Observed For The Analysis of Variance Conducted on White-space Response Data at Two Levels of Gender and at Two Levels of Age of Cards
Source SS df MS F p
Cards (C) 3.75 1 3.75 5.130 .027
Gender (G) 0.15 1 0.15 0.205 .652
Relation of Findings to Research Hypotheses
Based on existing research (e.g. Exner, 1986; Erdberg & Exner, 1984) indicating that when Rorschach cards fade or yellow they could become qualitatively different stimuli from new cards, the study's first research hypothesis predicted that, "Frequency of white space response to Rorschach Cards I, II, and VII will significantly differ as a function of whether presented cards are new or old (faded and discolored." In other words, the hypothesis predicted a difference (not the direction of the difference). The study's findings of significantly lower white space responses for old cards than for new cards can be considered to be supportive of this first research hypothesis.
Existing research on the effects of gender were mixed (e.g. Ekehammar, 1978; Konick & Crabbe-Decleve, 1971). Therefore, the literature did not offer a justification for the formulation of a directional hypothesis regarding the effects of gender.
For the foregoing reason, the study's second hypothesis was formulated as a null thesis. This null hypothesis stated that, "Frequency of white space responses to Rorschach Cards I, II, and VII will not significantly differ as a function of whether subjects are male or female." This hypothesis was supported by the study's failure to find a significant main effect for the gender variable.
The study's failure to find significance for the gender variable can be discussed in terms of two previous studies. The first study relevant to his fin...