91Ó°ÊÓ

A study conducted by researchers was designed "to determine if application of duct tape is as effective as cryotherapy (liquid nitrogen applied to the wart for 10 seconds every 2 to 3 weeks) in the treatment of common warts."The researchers randomly divided 51 patients into two groups. The 26 patients in group 1 had their warts treated by applying duct tape to the wart for 6.5 days and then removing the tape for 12 hours, at which point the cycle was repeated for a maximum of 2 months. The 25 patients in group 2 had their warts treated by cryotherapy for a maximum of six treatments. Once the treatments were complete, it was determined that \(85 \%\) of the patients in group 1 and \(60 \%\) of the patients in group 2 had complete resolution of their warts. The researchers concluded that duct tape is significantly more effective in treating warts than cryotherapy. (a) What is the research objective? (b) What is the population being studied? What is the sample? (c) What are the descriptive statistics? (d) What are the conclusions of the study?

Step by step solution

01

- Identify the research objective

The research objective is to determine if the application of duct tape is as effective as cryotherapy in the treatment of common warts.

02

- Identify the population and sample

The population being studied consists of patients who have common warts. The sample comprises the 51 patients enrolled in the study, with 26 patients in group 1 and 25 patients in group 2.

03

- Determine the descriptive statistics

The descriptive statistics provided are the percentages of patients in each group whose warts completely resolved after treatment: 85% in group 1 (duct tape) and 60% in group 2 (cryotherapy).

04

- State the conclusion of the study

The researchers concluded that duct tape is significantly more effective in treating warts than cryotherapy, based on the higher success rate in group 1 compared to group 2.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

• Full Textbook Solutions

  Get detailed explanations and key concepts

• Unlimited Al creation

  Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

• Ads-free access

  To over 500 millions flashcards

• Money-back guarantee

  We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

research objective

In any study, the research objective serves as the foundation for your investigation. It tells us what you are trying to discover or prove. To illustrate, let's consider the given study on wart treatments. Here, the main objective is to find out if duct tape is as effective as cryotherapy in the treatment of common warts. The researchers want to compare these two methods to see which one works better. This clear goal drives the design, implementation, and analysis of the study. In short, knowing the research objective helps you understand why the study is being conducted and what it aims to achieve.

population vs. sample

Understanding the difference between a population and a sample is crucial in statistical analysis. Here, the 'population' refers to everyone who has common warts. However, studying every single person with warts would be impractical. That's where a 'sample' comes in. A sample is a smaller group chosen from the population that is intended to represent the population. In this study, the sample consists of 51 patients with common warts. These patients are split into two groups: 26 patients using duct tape (group 1) and 25 patients using cryotherapy (group 2). By studying this sample, researchers can make inferences about the broader population of people with common warts.

descriptive statistics

Descriptive statistics summarize and describe the features of a dataset. They help convert data into understandable information. In this study, the descriptive statistics are the percentages of successful treatments: 85% for the duct tape group and 60% for the cryotherapy group. These percentages quickly inform us about the effectiveness of each treatment. By looking at these numbers, you can immediately see that a higher proportion of patients in the duct tape group had a complete resolution of their warts compared to the cryotherapy group. Descriptive statistics make it easy to compare and understand the essential findings of your study.

conclusion of the study

The study's conclusion wraps up the findings and their significance. In this case, the conclusion is that duct tape is significantly more effective in treating common warts than cryotherapy, based on the provided data. The 85% success rate with duct tape against the 60% success rate with cryotherapy led the researchers to this conclusion. It's important to note that conclusions should always be backed by data and clearly relate to the original research objective. Here, the researchers could state their findings with confidence because the data supported the claim, giving a clear and strong conclusion to their study.