Background When it is possible to achieve, randomization is critical to experime

Question

Background When it is possible to achieve, randomization is critical to experimentation. In some cases, experiments aren't really experiments at all, but are observational studies that compare two groups of data that have already been collected. In other cases, new experimental data are compared to existing data. In still other cases, randomization is simply not possible for ethical or practical reasons, In all of these situations, the potential severity of confounding must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. EXHIBIT 1 Brains and Beats Do children who study music perform better in school? One of the studies supporting this claim was conducted by University of California professor Gordon Shaw and reported in a 1999 edition of the Deseret News. In this study, students in the 95th Street school, one of Los Angeles' 100 poorest-performing institutions, received both piano lessons and automated mathematics training. Their ability to understand and analyze ratios and fractions was then compared to a 1997 study involving students from under-achieving schools in Orange County who were given automated and traditional mathematics instruction (but no musical training). The News reported that "It]he Los Angeles students scored 27 percent higher than their Orange County counterparts in their ability to understand and analyze rations and fractions-concepts usually not introduced until sixth grade." Questions 1. How do you know that the subjects in this study could not have been randomized to the treatments that were compared? 2. Aside from randomization issues, list two other possible sources of confounding that might challenge the conclusion that exposure to music caused the LA. students to do better. BEYOND THE NUMBERS 1.15

Explanation / Answer

1)In a study to analyse the effect of music on study score,randomisation was not done as representatives might have selected their treatments according to their free will in adhering to the details of the treatment.

2)Possible confounder:

Gender can be a possible confounding variable as it might depends on the gender of the children.

Solving ability of math problem .

Hand Cleaner

1)Randomisation method might not work because the hand cleaners might not be used properly.Even the patients with the treatment groups might not use the hand cleaner leading to inaccurate result.

2)Confounder-Gender and Age of the patients ,Based on these two possible factor might influence the habit of hand cleaning and thus may affect the quasi experimental design.

3)One argument could be as it is not randomised thus the effect of confounding would be less.Other could be it do not time or logistic contraints as compared to other true experimental design.

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