A pair of studies was performed to measure the effectiveness of a new software p
ID: 3170130 • Letter: A
Question
A pair of studies was performed to measure the effectiveness of a new software program designed to help stroke patients regain their problem-solving skills. Patients were asked to use the software program twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The studies observed 200 stroke patients recovering over a period of several weeks. The first study collected the data in the first table below. The second study collected the data in the second table below.
The first study was performed by the company that designed the software program. The second study was performed by the American Medical Association. Which study is more reliable?
A) The first study is more reliable, because the company would be interested in showing results that favored a higher rate of improvement from patients using their software.
B) The second study is more reliable, because the American Medical Association is not concerned with the success of the software.
C) The second study is more reliable, because the company is not concerned with the success of the software.
D) The first study is more reliable, because the American Medical Association would be interested in showing results that favored a higher rate of improvement from patients using the software.
First study Group Showed Improvement No Improvement Deterioration Used program 142 43 15 Did not use program 72 110 18Explanation / Answer
Answer: B) The second study is more reliable, because the American Medical Association is not concerned with the success of the software.
Reason: The company that built the software has an incentive to misreport and conclude that the software is successful, whereas, the American Medical Association has no such incentives and hence, second study by AMA is more reliable.
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