Week 1 Homework Assignment KHANDAKER ABDULLAHJANJABIL

Question 1 4 pts

1.1 Migraine and Acupuncture: A migraine is a particularly painful type of headache, which patients
sometimes wish to treat with acupuncture. To determine whether acupuncture relieves migraine pain,
researchers conducted a randomized controlled study where 93 females diagnosed with migraine
headaches were randomly assigned to one of two groups: treatment or control. 58 patients in the
treatment group received acupuncture that is specifically designed to treat migraines. 35 patients in the
control group received placebo acupuncture (needle insertion at non-acupoint locations). 24 hours after
patients received acupuncture, they were asked if they were pain free. Results are summarized in the
contingency table below.
(please round answers to within one hundredth of a percent)
Pain Free: Yes Pain Free: No Total
Treatment 13 45 58
Control 1 34 35
Total 14 79 93
a) What percent of patients in the treatment group were pain free 24 hours after receiving acupuncture?
22.41379310344827 %
b) What percent of patients in the control group were pain free after 24 hours?
2.85714285714 %
c) At first glance, does acupuncture appear to be an effective treatment for migraines? Explain your
reasoning.
Yes, because a higher percentage of individuals in the treatment group were pain-free after 24
hours.
No, because there were fewer people in the treatment group.
no, because more than half of the individuals in the treatment group still experience pain 24
hours later.
Yes, because more individuals in the treatment group were pain-free after 24 hours.

d) Do the data provide convincing evidence that there is a real pain reduction for those patients in the
treatment group? Or do you think that the observed difference might just be due to chance?
It is impossible to tell merely by comparing the sample proportions because the difference could
be the result of random error in our sample
Yes, the percentage of patients in the treatment group who were pain free 24 hours after
treatment was much greater than the corresponding percentage of patients in the control group.

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Question 2 3 pts
1.5 Cheaters, study components: Researchers studying the relationship between honesty, age, and
self-control conducted an experiment on 160 children between the ages of 5 and 15. Participants
reported their age, sex, and whether they were an only child or not. The researchers asked each child
to toss a fair coin in private and to record the outcome (white or black) on a paper sheet, and said they
would only reward children who report white. Half the students were explicitly told not to cheat and
the others were not given any explicit instructions. In the "no instruction" group the probability of
cheating was found to be uniform across groups based on a child's characteristics. In the group that was
explicitly told to not cheat, girls were less likely to cheat, and while rate of cheating didn't vary by age
for boys, it decreased with age for girls (Ritz et al. 2000). Identify the following
a) What are the cases?
the 160 children between the ages of 5 to 15
the coin flips
boys or girls
all children ages 5 to 15

b) What are the variables and their types?

The variables and types are age (discrete), sex (regular categorical), whether they were an only
child or not (regular categorical), the result of the coin flip (regular categorical), whether the
children were given instructions or not (regular categorical), and whether the child cheated
(regular categorical)
The variables and types are age (discrete), sex (ordinal), whether they were an only child or not
(regular categorical), the result of the coin flip (regular categorical), whether the children were
given instructions or not (regular categorical), and whether the child cheated (regular categorical)
The variables and types are age (discrete), sex (regular categorical), whether they were an only
child or not (regular categorical)
The variables and types are age (discrete numerical), sex (ordinal), whether they were an only
child or not (regular categorical), the result of the coin flip (regular categorical), whether the
children were given instructions or not (regular categorical)

c) What is the main research question?

Do children follow directions?
Do girls cheat more or less often than boys?
What is the effect of age, sex, only child status, and whether or not children were given
instructions on the rate of cheating in a game?

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Question 3 3 pts
1.8 Smoking habits of UK residents: A survey was conducted to study the smoking habits of UK
residents. Below is a data matrix displaying a portion of the data collected in this survey. Note that "£"
stands for British Pounds Sterling, "cig" stands for cigarettes, and "N/A" refers to a missing component of
the data.
sex age marital grossIncome smoke amtWeekends amtWeekdays
1 Female 42 Single Under £2600 Yes 12 cig/day 12 cig/day
£10,400 to
2 Male 44 Single No N/A N/A
£15,600
3 Male 53 Married Above £36,400 Yes 6 cig/day 6 cig/day
∶ ∶ ∶ ∶ ∶ ∶ ∶ ∶
1888 Male 40 Single £2600 to £5,200 Yes 8 cig/day 8 cig/day
a) What does each row of the data matrix represent?
an observation
a variable

b) How many participants were included in the survey? 1888

c) Identify each variable, determine whether each variable is numerical or categorical. If the variable is
numerical, specify continuous or discrete. If the variable is categorical, specify whether the variable is
ordinal or not.
The variables are sex (regular categorical), age (discrete), marital status (regular categorical),
earnings (ordinal), whether or not the individual smokes (regular categorical), amount the
individual smokes per day on a weekday (discrete), amount the individual smokes per day on a
weekend (discrete)
The variables are sex (ordinal), age (continuous), marital status (regular categorical), earnings
(discrete), whether or not the individual smokes (regular categorical), amount the individual
smokes per day on a weekday (discrete), amount the individual smokes per day on a weekend
(discrete)
The variables are sex (regular categorical), age (discrete), marital status (regular categorical),
earnings (continuous), whether or not the individual smokes (regular categorical), amount the
individual smokes per day on a weekday (discrete), amount the individual smokes per day on a
weekend (discrete)

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Question 4 3 pts
1.10 Cheaters, scope of inference: Exercise 1.5 introduces a study where researchers studying the
relationship between honesty, age, and self-control conducted an experiment on 160 children between
the ages of 5 and 15. The researchers asked each child to toss a fair coin in private and to record the
outcome (white or black) on a paper sheet, and said they would only reward children who report white.
Half the students were explicitly told not to cheat and the others were not given any explicit
instructions. Differences were observed in the cheating rates in the instruction and no instruction
groups, as well as some differences across children's characteristics within each group.
a) Identify the population of interest in the study.
All children between the ages of 5 and 15
80 children between the ages of 5 and 15 who were told not to cheat
The researchers
160 children between the ages of 5 and 15

b) Identify the sample for this study.

All children between the ages of 5 and 15
80 children between the ages of 5 and 15 who were told not to cheat
160 children between the ages of 5 and 15
The researchers

c) Can the results of the study can be generalized to the population? Should the findings of the study
can be used to establish causal relationships.
If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then the results
can be generalized to the target population. Furthermore, since this study is observational, the
findings can be used to infer causal relationships.
If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then the results
can be generalized to the target population. Furthermore, since this study is observational, the
results cannot be used to infer causal relationships.
If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then the results
can be generalized to the target population. Furthermore, since this study is experimental, the
findings cannot be used to infer causal relationships.
If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then the results
can be generalized to the target population. Furthermore, since this study is experimental, the
findings can be used to infer causal relationships.

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Question 5 4 pts
1.11 Buteyko method, scope of inference: Exercise 1.4 introduces a study on using the Buteyko
shallow breathing technique to reduce asthma symptoms and improve quality of life. As part of this
study 600 asthma patients aged 18-69 who relied on medication for asthma treatment were recruited
and randomly assigned to two groups: one practiced the Buteyko method and the other did not. Those in
the Buteyko group experienced, on average, a significant reduction in asthma symptoms and an
improvement in quality of life.
a) Identify the population of interest in the study.
all asthma patients aged 18-69 who rely on medication for asthma treatment
all asthma patients from all ages who rely on medication for asthma treatment
the researchers
the 600 asthma patients aged 18-69 who rely on medication for asthma treatment

b) Identify the sample in this study.

all asthma patients aged 18-69 who rely on medication for asthma treatment
all asthma patients from all ages who rely on medication for asthma treatment
the 600 asthma patients aged 18-69 who rely on medication for asthma treatment
the researchers

c) Can the results of the study can be generalized to the population?

No, the results cannot be generalized to the target population.
Yes, the results can be generalized to the target population.
It depends. If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then
the results can be generalized to the target population.

d) Can the findings of the study be used to establish causal relationships?

Since this study is observational, the findings can be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is experimental, the findings can be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is experimental, the findings cannot be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is observational, the results cannot be used to infer causal relationships.

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Question 6 4 pts
1.12 Stealers, scope of inference: Exercise 1.6 introduces a study on the relationship between socio-
economic class and unethical behavior. As part of this study 129 University of California Berkeley
undergraduates were asked to identify themselves as having low or high social-class by comparing
themselves to others with the most (least) money, most (least) education, and most (least) respected
jobs. They were also presented with a jar of individually wrapped candies and informed that the candies
were for children in a nearby laboratory, but that they could take some if they wanted. After completing
some unrelated tasks, participants reported the number of candies they had taken. It was found that
those who were identified as upper-class took more candy than others.
a) Identify the population of interest in the study.
all UC Berkeley undergraduates
all students who are identified as upper-class
the researchers
the 129 UC Berkeley undergraduates

b) Identify the sample in this study.

all UC Berkeley undergraduates
all students who are identified as upper-class
the 129 UC Berkeley undergraduates
the researchers

c) Can the results of the study can be generalized to the population?

No, the results cannot be generalized to the target population.
Yes, the results can be generalized to the target population.
It depends. If the sample is randomly selected and representative of the entire population, then
the results can be generalized to the target population.

d) Can the findings of the study be used to establish causal relationships?

Since this study is observational, the findings can be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is experimental, the findings can be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is experimental, the findings cannot be used to infer causal relationships.
Since this study is observational, the results cannot be used to infer causal relationships.

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Question 7 4 pts
1.13 Relaxing after work: The 2010 General Social Survey asked the question, "After an average work
day, about how many hours do you have to relax or pursue activities that you enjoy?" to a random
sample of 1,155 Americans. The average relaxing time was found to be 1.65 hours. Determine which of
the following is an observation, a variable, a sample statistic, or a population parameter.
a) An American in the sample.
observation
sample statistic
population parameter
variable

b) Number of hours spent relaxing after an average work day.

observation
sample statistic
variable
population parameter

c) 1.65.
sample statistic
variable
population parameter
observation

d) Average number of hours all Americans spend relaxing after an average work day.
sample statistic
variable
population parameter
observation

Question 8 4 pts
1.14 Cats on YouTube: Suppose you want to estimate the percentage of videos on YouTube that are cat
videos. It is impossible for you to watch all videos on YouTube so you use a random video picker to select
1000 videos for you. You find that 2% of these videos are cat videos. Determine which of the following is
an observation, a variable, a sample statistic, or a population parameter.
a) The percentage of all videos on YouTube that are cat videos is a/an:
observation
sample statistic
population parameter
variable

b) 2%
observation
sample statistic
variable
population parameter

c) A video in your sample

sample statistic
variable
population parameter
observation

d) Whether or not a video is a cat video

sample statistic
variable
population parameter
observation

Question 9 5 pts
1.15 GPA and study hours: A survey was conducted on 193 Duke University undergraduates who took an
introductory statistics course in 2012. Among many other questions, this survey asked them about their
GPA, which can range between 0 and 4 points, and the number of hours they spent studying per week.
The scatterplot below displays the relationship between these two variables.

a) What is the explanatory variable?

number of study hours per week
GPA

b) What is the response variable?

number of study hours per week
GPA

c) Describe the relationship between the variables.

strong positive
weak negative
weak positive
strong negative
no relationship

d) Is this an experiment or an observational study?

observational study
experiment
e) Can we conclude that studying longer hours leads to higher GPAs?
Yes
No

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Question 10 4 pts
1.16 Income and education in US counties: The scatterplot below shows the relationship between per
capita income (in thousands of dollars) and percent of population with a bachelor's degree in 3,143
counties in the US in 2010.

a) What is the explanatory variable?

Percent with a Bachelor's Degree
Per Capita Income (in $1000s)

b) What is the response variable?

Per Capita Income (in $1000s)
Percent with a Bachelor's Degree

c) Describe the relationship between the variables.

strong positive
weak negative
weak positive
strong negative
no relationship

d) Can we conclude that having a bachelor's degree increases one's income?

No
Yes

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Question 11 3 pts

1.31 Light and exam performance: A study is designed to test the e↵ect of light level on exam
performance of students. The researcher believes that light levels might have different effects on males
and females, so wants to make sure both are equally represented in each treatment. The treatments
are fluorescent overhead lighting, yellow overhead lighting, no overhead lighting (only desk lamps).
a) What is the response variable?
exam performance
no overhead lighting
sex
fluorescent overhead lighting
light level

b) What is the explanatory variable?

sex
light level
exam performance
no overhead lighting
fluorescent overhead lighting

c) What is the blocking variable?

sex
no overhead lighting
fluorescent overhead lighting
exam performance
light level

Question 12 5 pts
1.32 Vitamin supplements: In order to assess the effectiveness of taking large doses of vitamin C in
reducing the duration of the common cold, researchers recruited 400 healthy volunteers from staff and
students at a university. A quarter of the patients were assigned a placebo, and the rest were evenly
divided between 1g Vitamin C, 3g Vitamin C, or 3g Vitamin C plus additives to be taken at onset of a
cold for the following two days. All tablets had identical appearance and packaging. The nurses who
handed the prescribed pills to the patients knew which patient received which treatment, but the
researchers assessing the patients when they were sick did not. No significant differences were observed
in any measure of cold duration or severity between the four medication groups, and the placebo group
had the shortest duration of symptoms
a) Was this an experiment or observational study?
Experiment
Observational

b) What is the explanatory variable?

duration of cold
volunteers
level of vitamin C supplement
severity of cold

c) What is the response variable?

level of vitamin C supplement
duration of cold
volunteers
severity of cold

d) Were the patients blind to their treatment?

Yes
No

e) Was the study double-blind?

Yes
No

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