Omega-3 Exercise 21 describes an experiment that showed that high doses of omega-3 fats might be of benefit to people with bipolar disorder. The experiment involved a control group of subjects who received a placebo. Why didn’t the experimenters just give everyone the omega-3 fats to see if they improved?
Exercise 21
What’s the design? Read each brief report of statistical research, and identify
a) whether it was an observational study or an experiment. If it was an observational study, identify (if possible)
b) whether it was retrospective or prospective.
c) the subjects studied and how they were selected.
d) the parameter of interest.
e) the nature and scope of the conclusion the study can reach. If it was an experiment, identify (if possible)
b) the subjects studied.
c) the factor(s) in the experiment and the number of levels for each.
d) the number of treatments.
e) the response variable measured.
f) the design (completely randomized, blocked, or matched).
g) whether it was blind (or double-blind).
h) the nature and scope of the conclusion the experiment can reach.