Blood Pressure Researchers Developing New Drugs Must Be Concerned About $$\alpha = 0.05$$

question 76

Essay

Blood pressure Researchers developing new drugs must be concerned about possible side
effects. They must check a new medication for arthritis to be sure that it does not cause an
unsafe increase in blood pressure. They measure the blood pressures of a group of 12
subjects, then administer the drug and recheck the blood pressures one hour later. The
drug will be approved for use unless there is evidence that blood pressure has increased an
average of more than 20 points. They will test a hypothesis using $$\alpha = 0.05$$
a. Write appropriate hypotheses (in words and in symbols).
b. In this context, which do you consider to be more serious - a Type I or a Type II error?
Explain briefly.
c. After this experiment produced inconclusive results the researchers decided to test the
drug again another group of patients. Describe two changes they could make in their
experiment to increase the power of their test, and explain the disadvantages of each.

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Definitions:

Observational Studies

Research methods where the investigator observes subjects without directly intervening or altering their environment.

Accurate Descriptions

Detailed and precise representations of objects, events, or concepts, without any distortion or error.

Cause and Effect

A relationship between events or things, where one is the result of the other or others.

Descriptive Method

A research method that involves observing and describing the behavior of a subject without influencing it in any way.