Intro to Statistical Studies

Intro to Statistical Studies

Learning Objective:

Student will be able to identify the research cycle, and the difference of observation and experimental studies

Language Objective:

Student will express their reasoning in written form.

Is face mask necessary to help stop the spread of Covid-19?

State policies mandating public or community use of face masks or covers in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 are hotly contested. This study provides evidence from a natural experiment on the effects of state government mandates for face mask use in public issued by fifteen states plus Washington, D.C., between April 8 and May 15, 2020. Estimates suggest that as a result of the implementation of these mandates, more than 200,000 COVID-19 cases were averted by May 22, 2020. The findings suggest that requiring face mask use in public could help in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

The purposes of statistical studies is to answer questions about human behavior, effectiveness of medical treatments and the safety and the reliability of machinery or products.

Vocabulary:

Observational Study: which collects data about some characteristic(s) of the population by observation, by a survey or interview, or by other means.

Experimental Study: participants are separated into one or more groups and receive some sort of treatment.

Vocabulary:

Treatment Group: a group to receive the treatment.

Control Group: a group that does not receive any treatment.

Treatment: what is given to the treatment group.

Variable of Interest: the way the experiment is measured.

Statistical studies are used every day for a variety of reasons.

For Example :Music is a large part of many people’s lives. Because of this, it is often the subject of study. 

Music industry executives want to know what will be popular with different age groups. Advertisers want to know which radio stations are the most popular. Doctors want to know how much hearing damage results from loud music. Teachers want to know whether or not listening to classical music helps students perform better on tests.

This graphic illustrates the process of planning and implementing a statistical study. First, a question (or a series of questions) sparks the interest of a researcher. The research team then decides on the best design for investigating the question.

The graph shows no obvious ending point (or starting point). This means that you can start at any point and end at any point.

Example of Observational Study:

Radio rating services sometimes collect data on listenership by asking participants to record the date, time, and station each time they listen to the radio. Other rating services distribute monitoring devices that automatically record this information anytime the participant has the radio turned on. Still others call participants and ask them about their listening habits. The data are then compiled so that advertisers know which stations are the most popular at specific times during the day.

Each of these approaches is an example of an observational study, which collects data about some characteristic(s) of the population. The data can be collected by observation, by a survey or interview, or by other means.

Example of Experimental Study:

A 17-year-old student designed a science fair project with 72 mice randomly assigned to three groups: hard rock music, Mozart, and no music at all (called a control group). The mice in the first two groups were exposed to music 10 hours a day. Three times a week, all of the groups were timed as they ran through a maze. An analysis of results showed that the 24 mice in the no-music group averaged about a 5-minute improvement in their maze completion time, while the Mozart mice improved 8.5 minutes. The hard rock mice actually got slower—an average of four times slower! Another interesting fact: The student had to start his experiment over because all the hard-rock mice killed each other. None of the classical mice did that.

This is an example of an experimental study. In an experimental study, the researcher separates the participants into one or more groups and applies some sort of treatment. After treatment, the variable of interest is measured and the results are compared.

Experimental study has two types of groups, a treatment group, a group to receive the treatment, and a control group, a group that does not receive any treatment.

    The treatment  is what is given to the treatment group, in this case is the type of music, and the variable of interest is the way the experiment is measured, in this case it is the maze running time.

Multiple Choice

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine if tutoring is being used effectively at Tri-C. You look at the academic records of 1000 students and compare that to the tutoring center login records.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Multiple Choice

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine how much RTA is used by Tri-C students. Find 100 Tri-C students and randomly split them into two groups. One group uses RTA for transportation and the other group uses other means of transportation.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Multiple Choice

To test the effects of eating breakfast on test grades. I randomly select half of my students and feed them breakfast while giving the other half nothing to eat. I then give them all a test and compare the test grades of each group. What is the control group for this experiment?

• The students who did not get any breakfast from me.

• The students who pass the test.

• The tests.

• There was no control

Multiple Choice

To test the effects of eating breakfast on test grades. I randomly select half of my students and feed them breakfast while giving the other half nothing to eat. I then give them all a test and compare the test grades of each group. What is the treatment group for this experiment?

• The students who did get breakfast from me.

• The students who pass the test.

• The tests.

• There was no control

Multiple Choice

To test the effects of eating breakfast on test grades. I randomly select half of my students and feed them breakfast while giving the other half nothing to eat. I then give them all a test and compare the test grades of each group. What is the variable of interest for this experiment?

• The students who did get breakfast from me.

• The students who pass the test.

• The tests.

• There was no control