Which of the following scenarios can be appropriately answered using a Two-Way ANOVA test?

• A. Researchers compare final exam scores between students who attended tutoring vs. who did not
• B. A psychologist compares anxiety levels among patients receiving one of two treatments
• C. A nutritionist studies how meal type (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and diet plan (low-carb, low-fat, Mediterranean) affect blood sugar levels
• D. A professor tests if average scores on a quiz are significantly different between 5 class sections

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what a Two-Way ANOVA test is used for. It is designed to analyze the effect of two independent categorical variables (factors) on a continuous dependent variable, and also to check if there is an interaction effect between these two factors.
2. Step 2: Identify the number of factors and their levels in each scenario. For example, in the scenario with the nutritionist, there are two factors: meal type (with 3 levels: breakfast, lunch, dinner) and diet plan (with 3 levels: low-carb, low-fat, Mediterranean).
3. Step 3: Check if the dependent variable is continuous and measured for each combination of the two factors. In the nutritionist's case, blood sugar level is a continuous variable measured for each combination of meal type and diet plan.
4. Step 4: Compare this to other scenarios: the tutoring and psychologist examples involve only one factor each (tutoring attendance or treatment type), so a One-Way ANOVA or t-test would be more appropriate. The professor's example involves one factor with multiple levels (class sections).
5. Step 5: Conclude that the scenario involving two categorical independent variables affecting a continuous dependent variable (the nutritionist's study) is the appropriate situation to apply a Two-Way ANOVA.