A researcher comparing the means of two groups calculates the t-test for independent means and reports the following result: t(32) = -3.54, p <.01. This research study consisted of a TOTAL of ______ participants.

A) 16
B) 30
C) 32
D) 34

The "(32)" in t(32) indicates the degrees of freedom, which is calculated by subtracting 1 from the total number of participants in both groups. The formula for degrees of freedom for independent t-test is (n1 + n2) - 2. So, (n1 + n2) - 2 = 32 which gives us (n1 + n2) = 34. Since we know the two groups have equal sample sizes, the total number of participants in the study would be 34 divided by 2, which is 17 participants per group.