An Investigator Has Conducted a Study Where It Is Hypothesized

question 18

Essay

An investigator has conducted a study where it is hypothesized that exposing premature babies to small amounts of caffeine within 24 hours of birth will decrease their length of hospital stay. The sample size for the study was 80. The mean length of stay for the infants given caffeine was 40 (SD=12) days. The literature reports that premature infants given noncaffeine stimulants within 24 hours had a mean length of stay of 46 (SD=13) days.
A)Does caffeine do a better job at reducing the length of stay? Support your answer with statistical evidence.
B)After additional investigation, the investigator realizes that the distribution of length of stay is skewed. How does that impact the findings in (a)? What advice would you give the investigator for answering the question of whether caffeine does a better job at reducing the length of stay?

• A)Does caffeine do a better job at reducing the length of stay? Support your answer with statistical evidence.
• B)After additional investigation, the investigator realizes that the distribution of length of stay is skewed. How does that impact the findings in (a)? What advice would you give the investigator for answering the question of whether caffeine does a better job at reducing the length of stay?

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Definitions:

Visual Identification Tasks

Tasks designed to assess an individual's ability to recognize or identify visual objects or symbols.

Motor Behaviour

Actions and processes related to the movement of muscles in the body, encompassing both voluntary movements and reflexes.

Pituitary Gland

A small, pea-sized gland located at the base of the brain, which produces hormones that regulate critical body functions and influence several other hormone glands.

Hormones

Chemical messengers produced by glands in the endocrine system that regulate various bodily functions and processes, such as growth, metabolism, and mood.