A story on your local news station reports that eating a 1-ounce square of milk chocolate each day reduces the risk of heart disease in rats and that this result is statistically significant. This means that                   . a. people who eat milk chocolate are healthier than those who do not; b. the difference between chocolate-eating and chocolate-abstaining rats in heart disease rates was greater than expected by chance; c. rats like milk chocolate; d. milk chocolate reduces the risk of heart disease; e. two ounces of milk chocolate per day is likely to be even better for heart health than 1 ounce

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the term 'statistically significant' in the context of the study. This means that the results observed (reduction in heart disease risk among rats eating chocolate) are unlikely to have occurred by chance, according to the statistical analysis performed.
2. Identify what the study specifically measured and found, which is the effect of consuming milk chocolate on heart disease risk in rats, not humans or other variables.
3. Analyze each answer choice in the context of the study's findings and the meaning of statistical significance:
4. a. This choice assumes the results apply to humans and makes a general health comparison not specifically supported by the study.
5. b. This choice correctly interprets that the observed effect in the study (difference in heart disease rates between chocolate-eating and non-chocolate-eating rats) is statistically significant, meaning it is likely not due to random chance.
6. c. This choice introduces an unrelated concept (preference of rats for chocolate) which was not addressed by the study.
7. d. This choice overstates the study's findings by suggesting causation (milk chocolate reduces heart disease risk) when the study only shows correlation in a specific context (rats).
8. e. This choice speculates on a dosage effect (increasing chocolate intake) that was not tested in the study.