Is there a difference between cat and dog owners, with respect to how they rate their pets' social nature on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being low in socialization and 7 high in socialization? What statistical test would be used to test this hypothesis?

To statistically test whether there is a difference between cat and dog owners based on their ratings of their pets' natures, a researcher would need to conduct an independent t-test. An independent t-test would be most appropriate for this scenario for several reasons as this type of test determines whether there is a statistically significant difference between the means in two unrelated groups.

First, the independent variable is categorical. Additionally, the independent variable has two levels: cat owners and dog owners. Next, there is one dependent variable, and this variable is continuous. Finally, it is implied that the cat and dog owners do not overlap. Therefore, a dependent t-test would be inappropriate to use since two different sample means are being compared. Thus, an independent t-test should be conducted.