Optimizing Outcomes: Avoiding Confounds in Clinical Trials for Manic-Depression Treatment

Abstract

Assignment Five: Confounding Variables Answer the same four questions for each of the experiments described below. Confound Selection 1: Tom Rogers wanted to test a new “singalong” method to teach math to fourth graders (e.g. “I love to multiply” to the tune of “God Bless America”). He used the singalong method in his firstperiod class. His sixth-period students continued solving math problems with the old method. At the end of the term, Mr. Rogers found that the first-period class scored significantly lower than the sixth-period class on a mathematics achievement test. He concluded that the singalong method was a total failure. 1. Identify the independent variable(s). Singalong Method 2. Identify the dependent variable(s). Math’s performance 3. Identify any confounding variable(s). The extent of practice using singalong method, lack of interest to use the new method, complexity of the new style leading to confusion. 4. Propose a method to “unconfound” the experiment. Establishing a routine/new approaches of exercising math solving using the new singalong method or sticking to the traditional way of solving math’s. Confound Selection 2: An airport administrator investigated the attention spans of air traffic controllers to determine how many incoming flights the average controller could coordinate at the same time. Each randomly selected controller was tested, without his or her knowledge, by a computer program that fed false flight information to a computer terminal. The controller first “received” information from one plane, and by the end of an hour the controller was coordinating 10 planes simultaneously. The administrator analyzed the errors collected by the computer program. The analysis revealed that the maximum number of planes a controller could handle without making potentially fatal errors was six planes. Also, no errors occurred when only one to three planes were incoming. He concluded that a controller should never coordinate more than six incoming flights. Identify the independent variable(s). Attention spans average controller Identify the dependent variable(s). Coordination of incoming flights Identify any confounding variable(s). Quality of the average controller with regard to its speed, accuracy among others Propose a method to “unconfound” the experiment. Enhancing competency while operating the average controller to eliminate chances of fake findings, ensuring that the average controllers are of the same quality and operated the same way...