Math 106 Project 1: Understanding a Statistical Study

Name: Hamza T. Ali

Your answers should be typed and in complete sentences.

Grading: This project is worth in total 75 points. This is split into 2 parts.
• The project was completed with thoughtful responses and complete sentences (10 pts)
• The questions were answered correctly based on the Statistics learned so far. Points
are distributed per problem.

Part 1

For the given situation, type your answers to the questions in complete sentences.

Researchers at Mercy Birthing Hospital are conducting a study to determine what percent of
expectant mothers intend to give birth at home. The researchers asked 75 expectant mothers in
their third trimester, and 22% said that they intended to give birth at home.

• (3 pt) Is this an experiment or an observational study? Explain your answer.

This is an observational study, because the researchers are only observing and collecting
information about the expectant mothers intentions and are not manipulating any of the
variables.

• (3 pt) What is the population of this study?

The population study is all expectant mothers in their third trimester

• (3 pt) What is the population parameter for this study? (What are the researchers
trying to determine?)

The parameter for this study is the percentage of all expectant mothers in their third trimester
who plan to give birth at home.

• (3 pt) What is the sample in this study?

The sample in this study is the 75 expectant mothers in their third trimester who were asked
about their intentions.
 • (3 pt) What is the sample statistic?

The sample statistic is the 22% of the 75 expectant mothers who said that they intended to give
birth at home,.

Part 2
Read the article and answer the following questions:

Chopin and Beethoven Helps Students Pass Exams, Classical Music Study Reveals

For the study in the article that you read, type your answers to the following questions in
complete sentences.

• (5 pt) Who conducted the study? (Do not confuse this with who wrote the article.)

The study was conducted by a team of researchers including Chenlu Gao, Paul Fillmore, and
Michael K. Scullin.

• (5 pt) From what you have read, does there appear to be selection bias in this study? 
Does there appear to be any participation bias in the study?  What about other types of
bias?  Explain why or why not. Focus on the experiment itself, not on who is reporting
the results.

From what was reported in the article, it is difficult to determine if there was any selection bias in
this study. The article doesn't provide information on how the microeconomics students were
selected for the study. It's unclear if they were chosen at random or if they volunteered. It's
possible that only a certain percentage of the students who were invited to participate actually
took part, which could introduce participation bias into the study. If the students who agreed to
participate had certain characteristics that differed from those who didn't participate, the results
of the study could be affected.

• (5 pt) What is the population being studied?

The population being studied is microeconomics students aged 18-33.
 • (5 pt) What is/are the population parameter(s) being studied?
The population parameter being studied is the effect of listening to classical music on exam
performance.

• (5 pt) What is the sample being studied?

The sample being studied is the 50 microeconomics students aged 18-33 who participated in the
study.

• (5 pt) What is/are the sample statistic(s) being studied? Give the results of the study. If
several statistics are listed, give the primary (overall) result and one other statistic.

The sample statistics being studied are the exam scores of the music group and the white noise
group. The music group performed 18% higher in the computer exam the following day than the
white noise group. The primary result is the 18% improvement, and another statistic is the
probability of passing the test with a grade of 70 or above, which increased due to the
improvement in the quality of sleep and ability to recollect course materials.

• (5 pt) Does this article provide enough information for readers to fully understand the
study? Explain why or why not.

The article provides some information about the study, including the research question, the
methodology, and the results. However, it does not provide detailed information about the
sample, the study design, or potential sources of bias. Therefore, readers may not fully
understand the limitations and implications of the study based solely on the information
presented in the article.
Part 3
Suppose that Bugs-Be-Gone has developed a new pesticide to be used on corn. You work for an
independent research organization and would like to determine how effective the pesticide is.
Design an experiment (one to two paragraphs) that you could use to do this. Then, answer the
questions posed about your experiment. (It will be helpful to read through the questions first
so you know what you must include in your experiment).

Descripe Your Experiment (5 pt):

To test the new pesticide from Bugs-Be-Gone, we'll run a randomized trial on corn. The crops
will be divided into two groups: one that gets the pesticide and one that doesn't. The study will
happen on a big farm with lots of fields to make sure we get diverse results. We'll check how
much each field produces by the end of the season and see if there's a meaningful difference
between the two groups.

Questions

• (2 pt) What is the population of your study?

The population of the study is all corn crops that could potentially be treated with the new
pesticide.

• (2 pt) What is the sample being used in your study?

The sample being used in the study is a random selection of corn crops from a large farm.

• (2 pt) What is the treatment group for your study?

The treatment group for the study is the group of corn crops that will receive the new pesticide.

• (2 pt) What is the control group for your study?

The control group for the study is the group of corn crops that will not receive any treatment.

• (2 pt) List three possible confounding variables that must be controlled in your study.
To ensure the accuracy of our study, we need to account for any potential confounding variables
that could affect the yield of the corn crops. The three main variables that we need to control for
are soil quality, weather conditions, and pest populations.