Chapter 6: Q 35. (page 373)
Exercises 35 and 36 refer to the following setting. Many chess masters and chess advocates
believe that chess play develops general intelligence, analytical skill, and the ability to
concentrate. According to such beliefs, improved reading skills should result from study to
improve chess-playing skills. To investigate this belief, researchers conducted a study. All the
subjects in the study participated in a comprehensive chess program, and their reading
performances were measured before and after the program. The graphs and numerical
summaries that follow provide information on the subjects鈥 pretest scores, posttest scores, and
the difference (Post 鈭 Pre) between these two scores.

Better readers?(1.3, 4.3)
a. Did students tend to have higher reading scores after participating in the chess
program? Justify your answer.
b. If the study found a statistically significant improvement in the average reading score,
could you conclude that playing chess causes an increase in reading skills? Justify your
answer.
Some graphical and numerical information about the relationship between pretest and posttest scores is provided here.


Short Answer
a) Yes, students tend to have higher reading scores after participating in the chess
program.
b) No, playing chess could not causes an increase in reading skills.


