Statistical Experimental Design

A market research company wishes to find out whether the population of students at a university prefers Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. A random sample of students is selected, and each student is asked first to try both but the order they try them is randomly decided with a coin toss (heads: Starbucks, then Dunkin. tails: vice versa). They then indicate which brand they prefer. This is an example of

• completely randomized experiment

• observational study

• stratified sample

• matched pairs experiment

To investigate the effectiveness of an herbal medication for pain relief, a researcher randomly selected 80 patients who were undergoing physical therapy while recovering from an injury. Of the patients, 40 had knee injuries, 16 had arm injuries, and 24 had foot injuries. The researcher will use two treatments for the investigation: the herbal medication and a standard medication. After the patients are on the medication for two weeks, the amount of pain reduction will be measured for each patient. Which of the following best describes why a randomized block design is appropriate for the investigation?

• The 80 patients were selected at random from all patients undergoing physical therapy while recovering from an injury.

• The sample size was greater than 30.

• Each patient will be randomly assigned to either the herbal medication or the standard medication.

• Blocking on injury type will help to separate natural variability from differences due to injury type.

• Each patient assigned to the herbal medication will be paired with a patient assigned to the standard medication.

What kind of experiment is shown in the picture?

• Randomized Block Design

• Completely Randomized Design

• Matched Pairs

• SRS

What kind of experiment is shown?

• Matched Pairs

• Block Design

• Completely Randomized Design

• SRS

An ​ (a)   does not have treatments imposed.

An ​ (b)   has treatments imposed.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

A researcher randomly selected 30 people to participate in a study to investigate which of two materials, A or B, used in the heels of sneakers will last longer. The researcher is considering two design types for the study. Design 1: Randomly assign 15 participants to wear sneakers with material A on their left feet and material B on their right feet. The remaining participants will wear sneakers with material B on their left feet and material A on their right feet. Design 2: Randomly assign 15 participants to wear sneakers with material A on both feet and the remaining participants to wear sneakers with material B on both feet. Which of the following best describes each design?

• Design 1 is a completely randomized design, and design 2 is a matched pairs design.

• Design 1 is a matched pairs design, and design 2 is a completely randomized design.

• Design 1 is a matched pairs design, and design 2 is a matched pairs design.

• Design 1 is a completely randomized design, and design 2 is a completely randomized design.

• Design 1 is a completely randomized design, and design 2 is a randomized block with materials as blocks.

Can pleasant aromas help a student learn better? Two researchers believed that the presence of a floral scent could improve a person's learning ability in certain situations. They had 22 people work through a pencil-and-paper maze 6 times. Three of the times they wore a floral-scented mask and three times they wore an unscented mask. The three trials for each mask followed one another. Testers measures the length of time it took subjects to complete each of the six trials. They reported that, on average, subjects wearing the floral-scented mask completed the maze more quickly that those wearing the unscented mask, although, the difference was not statistically significant. This study is:

• convenience sample

• an oberservational study

• an experiment, but not double-blind

• a double-blind experiment

Identify the design  for the experiment

• completely randomized, the factor is pesticide

• randomized block, blocked on tree type, the factor is pesticide

• This experiment is single blind, blocked by pesticide

• The experiment is double blind, the factors are tree type and pesticide

An experiment will be conducted to determine whether children learn their multiplication facts better by practicing with flash cards or by practicing on a computer. Children who volunteer for the experiment will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Because the children’s gender may affect the outcome, there will be blocking by gender. After practice, the children will be given a test on their multiplication facts. Why will it be impossible to conduct a double-blind experiment?

• The experimenter will know whether the child is a boy or a girl and whether he or she used flash cards or the computer.

• The child will know whether he or she is a boy or a girl.

• The child will know whether he or she used flash cards or the computer.

• The person who grades the tests will know whether the child was a boy or a girl.

• The person who grades the tests will know whether the child used flash cards or the computer.

Dentists want to know if a fluoride mouth wash will help prevent cavities. After 6 months, they will compare the number of cavities in those who used the mouth wash versus those who did not. Which is an example of a matched pairs design for this experiment?

• Dentists sort 40 patients into groups based on age, such as 10-14, 15-20, 21-26, and 26-30. Half of the patients in each group are given the mouth wash, half are not.

• Dentists sort 50 patients into pairs that are the same age. 1 person is given the mouth wash and 1 is not.