Question

1. According to the article, the data was collected through the following means: “For the study, 1,633 participants provided baseline estimates of hand hygiene behaviour and coronavirus infections were identified from nasal swabs…At the start of each season, participants were asked to estimate how many times they had washed their hands the previous day. Frequency of daily hand-washing was subsequently categorized as low, zero to five times daily, moderate, six to 10 times daily, or high, more than 10 times daily.”  

1. Explain why this is an observational study, not an experiment.

2. Identify any potential sources of error in data collection.

3. If scientists were to do this as an experiment, how could they do it? Be specific and address the following concerns.

1. Identify the explanatory variable

2. Identify the response variable

3. Identify how you would choose participants to avoid bias. Consider different types of bias

4. Give a procedure for how the experiment would be run

5. Identify one thing that would be directly controlled

6. Identify an extraneous variable being controlled by random assignment.

7. Would there be a placebo in this experiment? Why or why not?

(I WILL GIVE HIGH RATING I PROMISE)

Answer 1

(1)

Question:

Explain why this is an observational study, not an experiment.

The exprimenter is not manipulating the independent variable: hand hygiene behaviour to study its effect on the Dependent Variable: coronavirus infections. The exprimenter is simply observing how many times they had washed their hands the previous day and status of coronavirus infections. So, this is an observational study, not an experiment.

(2)

Question:

Identify any potential sources of error in data collection

The potential sources of error in data collection is Response Bias - Social Desirability: Since the survey is open, the participants always say that they always have hand hygiene behaviour even though they may not wash their hands.

(3)

Question:

If scientists were to do this as an experiment, how could they do it? Be specific and address the following concerns.

Allot the volunteers for this experimentation randomly to mutually exclusive groups: Group 1: Experimental Group: Participants have hand hygiene behaviour. Group 2: Control Group: Participants do not have hand hygiene behaviour. At the end of the experimentation, test for coronavirus infections for all participants. Finally conduct Hypothesis Test for significance of relation between hand hygiene behaviour and coronavirus infections .

(4)

Question:

Identify the explanatory variable

hand hygiene behaviour

(5)

Question:

Identify the response variable

coronavirus infections

(6)
Question:

Identify how you would choose participants to avoid bias. Consider different types of bias

Allot the volunteers for this experimentation randomly to mutually exclusive groups. Randomization reduces the bias by equalising other factors that have not been explicitly accounted for in the experimental design.

(7)

Question:

Give a procedure for how the experiment would be run

Allot the volunteers for this experimentation randomly to mutually exclusive groups: Group 1: Experimental Group: Participants have hand hygiene behaviour. Group 2: Control Group: Participants do not have hand hygiene behaviour. At the end of the experimentation, test for coronavirus infections for all participants. Finally conduct Hypothesis Test for significance of relation between hand hygiene behaviour and coronavirus infections .

(8)

Question:

Identify one thing that would be directly controlled

Characteristic of each individual to resist coronavirus infections other than hand hygiene behaviour

(9)

Question:

Identify an extraneous variable being controlled by random assignment.

Gender, Age, General Health conditions etc.

(10)

Question:

Would there be a placebo in this experiment? Why or why not?

There would not be a placebo in this experiment. Reason: While designing Group 2: Control Group: Participants do not have hand hygiene, it is impossible to design the experiment such that the participants will think that they are receiving same treatment as Group 1 participants.