Homework #1 Statistical Concepts

East_______________
BIO/BTEC180 Biostatistics

Name:______Trevor
MiraCosta College

Example 1: Dolphin Therapy?

1. Why did the researchers include a comparison group in this study? Why didnt they
just see how many patients showed substantial improvement when given the dolphin
therapy?
A comparison group is necessary to judge findings against a control. If you simply record
results, you have nothing to base your findings against to see if there was a change from the
variables regular state.
2. Why do you think patients with mild to moderate depression only were allowed to
participate?
Extreme depression may not have yielded little to no change because they could be more
difficult to treat.
3. Do you think the age range is important?
Age range is important because there is a big difference in the psychological maturity
between a 9 year old
an 80 year old.
4. Why the random assignment when they got to the island?
To ensure that the study was randomized and no group/individual was focused over
another group.
5. Do the data appear to support the claim that dolphin therapy is effective? A useful
first step is to calculate the proportion who improved in each group. Calculate these
proportions. Did the dolphin therapy group have a higher proportion who showed
substantial improvement than the control group?
p=.33 improved p(not improved)=.16 The dolphin group had a higher proportion of
substancial improvement
6. How would you describe the results of the simulation we performed in class and the
10,000 iterations presented in lecture? That is, how would you describe what the
randomized results looked like. Think about the shape, where its centered, how spread
out the data is. Draw a picture if it helps.
The larger the dataset, the more normal the curve, or bell shaped it will look.
Example 2: Contagious Yawns?
1. Do the data appear to support the claim that yawns are contagious?
The data does not support the claim that yawns are contagious.
2. Calculate the proportion of yawners for each group. Did the yawn seed group
have a higher proportion of yawners, as compared to the control group?
20% yawned when a seed was planted. 8% did not yawn when a yawn seed was planted.
Is it possible that yawning is not contagious, and random assignment alone is responsible for the
observed difference in proportions of yawners between the two groups? (This is what The Skeptic
would say.)
3. What were the results of the resampling results as discussed in lecture?
The results of the resampling results in the lecture showed that a yawn seed does not
significantly alter the results of yawns.
Example 3: Leaning While Kissing?
1. Based on the in-class re-sampling simulation results, would you conclude that
the researchers data (8 of 12 couples leaning to the right) provides strong evidence that
couples really do tend to the lean to the right more often than the left? Explain the
reasoning behind your answer.
p value of 51.37, there is strong evidence against the null. more couples do lean to the
right.
2. Based on the second re-sampling results, would you conclude that the
researchers data (80 of 124 couples leaning to the right) provides strong evidence that
couples in general really do tend to the lean to the right more often than the left?

Still, with a p value of .64 there is strong evidence that more couples do lean to the right
than the left.
3. Why do we get such different results if the proportion (about 2 out of 3) of
people leaning to the right is the same?
Larger sample size.
Example 4: PROCRIT for Neuropathy
1. Whats a clinical trial? What are the phases?
Prospective biomedical or behavioral studies done on human subjects generating safety
and efficacy data. Phases are I, screen for safety, II establish efficacy of the drug against a
control, III monitor side effects, confirm safety, and efficacy.
2. What two characteristics of a medicinal therapy do companies need to demonstrate
to get FDA approval?
Safety and efficacy.
3. With respect to the question above, what can we conclude about PROCRIT for the
treatment of peripheral neuropathy?
PROCRIT is effective. its p value is .26 which is higher than
Example 5: EPO for tissue protection following CABG
1. Explain why the difference in proportions favoring the treatment is basically the
same as in the EPO trial for neuropathy and yet we come to very different conclusions. For
example, in the first trial, there was a 23 percentage difference favoring the treatment
and, in the CABG trial, there was 21 percentage difference favoring the treatment.
The result is again significant because in this case we do NOT want the subjects that were
administered the drug to show symptoms of AKI. Its a matter of what result you are looking for
in your data.