Exam 27: Putting What You Have Learned to the Test

CASE STUDY 27.1 ACTING OUT YOUR DREAMS For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.1 summary A sample of undergraduate psychology students were randomly divided into three groups and asked about their experiences with acting out dreams while dreaming.Group 1 was asked "On how many nights did the following occur in the last year … acting out a dream (while dreaming)?" Group 2 was asked the same question as Group 1, but with some examples given of "acting out a dream while dreaming", such as crying, laughing, making arm/ leg movements.Group 3 was given a specific list of dream-state actions and asked which of these they had experienced.That is, the subjects in Group 3 did not need to synthesize their own interpretation of the phrase "acting out a dream" or conceive of their own example actions.The proportions of positive responses for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 35.9%, 76.7%, and 98.2%, respectively. -For Group 1, how might "acting out a dream (while dreaming)" be misinterpreted?

CASE STUDY 27.5 YOU CAN WORK AND GET YOUR EXERCISE AT THE SAME TIME For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.5 summary One in five clerical workers walks about a quarter mile a day just to complete routine functions like faxing, copying, and filing, a national survey on office efficiency reports.The survey also shows that the average office worker spends close to 15 percent of the day just walking around the office. -{Case study 27.5 narrative} What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.9 SO YOU THOUGHT SPINACH WAS GOOD FOR YOU? For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.9 summary A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the antioxidant beta-carotene markedly increased the incidence of lung cancer among heavy smokers in Finland.Incidence of lung cancer was 18% higher among the 14,500 smokers who took beta-carotene than among the 14,500 who didn't.The probability that the observed increase was due to chance is less than one in one hundred.(A difference in such studies is taken seriously when the probability that it happened by chance is less than one in twenty.)This result was particularly worrying to researchers and the media, because it comes from a large, randomized clinical trial, yet it goes against all the previously available evidence.Over a hundred epidemiologic studies indicate that people who have high levels of beta-carotene in their diet and in their blood have lower risks of cancer, particularly lung cancer. -{Case study 27.9 narrative} What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.7 UNPALATABLE PATE For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.7 summary News article excerpt: An exploratory study asked roughly 300 Australian students whether they approved or disapproved of certain uses of animals.Researchers concluded that students frequently condemned consumptive practices while endorsing consumption itself.For example, nearly three-fourths of the students disapproved of "force-feeding geese to make their livers swell up to produce pate for restaurants" but the majority did not disapprove of "eating pate produced by the force-feeding of geese." The authors interpreted these findings as evidence of an inconsistency between people's attitudes and behaviors toward the use of animals. -{Case study 27.7 narrative} This is an excellent example of a survey where wording of the questions can greatly affect the results.Comment on the wording of the question, "Do you approve or disapprove of force-feeding geese to make their livers swell up to produce pate for restaurants?" and suggest how the question should be rewritten if you find problems with it.

CASE STUDY 27.4 IT REALLY IS TRUE ABOUT ASPIRIN For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.4 summary This study was a meta-analysis of clinical trials in which aspirin was used to prevent blood clots.The meta-analysis (covering both aspirin and more expensive anti-platelet drugs) combined the results of 300 trials involving 140,000 patients.Its recommendation: a regime of half a tablet of aspirin a day is valuable for all victims of heart attack and stroke, and other at-risk patients such as angina sufferers and recipients of coronary bypass grafts.The lead researcher was quoted as saying "This is one of the most cost-effective drug interventions one could have in developed countries." -{Case study 27.4 narrative} What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.1 ACTING OUT YOUR DREAMS For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.1 summary A sample of undergraduate psychology students were randomly divided into three groups and asked about their experiences with acting out dreams while dreaming.Group 1 was asked "On how many nights did the following occur in the last year … acting out a dream (while dreaming)?" Group 2 was asked the same question as Group 1, but with some examples given of "acting out a dream while dreaming", such as crying, laughing, making arm/ leg movements.Group 3 was given a specific list of dream-state actions and asked which of these they had experienced.That is, the subjects in Group 3 did not need to synthesize their own interpretation of the phrase "acting out a dream" or conceive of their own example actions.The proportions of positive responses for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 35.9%, 76.7%, and 98.2%, respectively. -{Case study 27.1 narrative} What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.3 CHILDREN ON THE GO For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.3 summary The researchers of this study concluded that children who move often are 35 percent more likely to fail a grade and 77 percent more likely to have behavioral problems than children whose families move rarely.These results were based on a nationwide study of 9,915 youngsters aged 6-17."High movers" were defined as those who had moved at least 6 times.High movers were 1.35 times more likely to have failed a grade and 1.77 times more likely to have developed at least four frequent behavioral problems (ranging from depression to impulsiveness to destructiveness).The results were adjusted for poverty, single parenting, belonging to a racial minority, and having parents with less than a high school education. -{Case study 27.3 narrative} The sample size in this study is very large, which may cause some problems.Explain why, and what was missing from the results that might have helped the reader determine the magnitude of the differences observed.

CASE STUDY 27.3 CHILDREN ON THE GO For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.3 summary The researchers of this study concluded that children who move often are 35 percent more likely to fail a grade and 77 percent more likely to have behavioral problems than children whose families move rarely.These results were based on a nationwide study of 9,915 youngsters aged 6-17."High movers" were defined as those who had moved at least 6 times.High movers were 1.35 times more likely to have failed a grade and 1.77 times more likely to have developed at least four frequent behavioral problems (ranging from depression to impulsiveness to destructiveness).The results were adjusted for poverty, single parenting, belonging to a racial minority, and having parents with less than a high school education. -{Case study 27.3 narrative} Name one of the confounding factors not controlled for in this study.

CASE STUDY 27.11 SO YOU THOUGHT HOT DOGS WERE BAD FOR YOU? For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.11 summary In a magazine article, three research groups reported a link between cured-meat consumption and cancer.Among 232 cases in one study, children who ate 12 or more hot dots in a month were nine times as likely as hot dog-free controls to develop leukemia.Researchers also found an increased risk for kids whose fathers ate a lot of hot dogs.Another study involving 234 cases of various childhood cancers found that children whose mothers ate hot dogs at least once a week were twice as likely as controls to develop brain tumors.The results may be due to the N-nitroso compounds in cured meats, researchers say.However, they warn that the studies are far from conclusive. -{Case study 27.11 narrative} The studies conducted here were most likely to be of what type?

CASE STUDY 27.9 SO YOU THOUGHT SPINACH WAS GOOD FOR YOU? For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.9 summary A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the antioxidant beta-carotene markedly increased the incidence of lung cancer among heavy smokers in Finland.Incidence of lung cancer was 18% higher among the 14,500 smokers who took beta-carotene than among the 14,500 who didn't.The probability that the observed increase was due to chance is less than one in one hundred.(A difference in such studies is taken seriously when the probability that it happened by chance is less than one in twenty.)This result was particularly worrying to researchers and the media, because it comes from a large, randomized clinical trial, yet it goes against all the previously available evidence.Over a hundred epidemiologic studies indicate that people who have high levels of beta-carotene in their diet and in their blood have lower risks of cancer, particularly lung cancer. -{Case study 27.9 narrative} Explain why we should perhaps not be surprised by the results of this study, in light of all the studies that had been done before.(Assume that the quality of the studies is not an issue.)

CASE STUDY 27.9 SO YOU THOUGHT SPINACH WAS GOOD FOR YOU? For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.9 summary A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the antioxidant beta-carotene markedly increased the incidence of lung cancer among heavy smokers in Finland.Incidence of lung cancer was 18% higher among the 14,500 smokers who took beta-carotene than among the 14,500 who didn't.The probability that the observed increase was due to chance is less than one in one hundred.(A difference in such studies is taken seriously when the probability that it happened by chance is less than one in twenty.)This result was particularly worrying to researchers and the media, because it comes from a large, randomized clinical trial, yet it goes against all the previously available evidence.Over a hundred epidemiologic studies indicate that people who have high levels of beta-carotene in their diet and in their blood have lower risks of cancer, particularly lung cancer. -{Case study 27.9 narrative} What does the following statement mean, in statistical notation and terms? "The probability that the observed increase in lung cancer was due to chance is less than one in one hundred."

CASE STUDY 27.7 UNPALATABLE PATE For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.7 summary News article excerpt: An exploratory study asked roughly 300 Australian students whether they approved or disapproved of certain uses of animals.Researchers concluded that students frequently condemned consumptive practices while endorsing consumption itself.For example, nearly three-fourths of the students disapproved of "force-feeding geese to make their livers swell up to produce pate for restaurants" but the majority did not disapprove of "eating pate produced by the force-feeding of geese." The authors interpreted these findings as evidence of an inconsistency between people's attitudes and behaviors toward the use of animals. -{Case study 27.7 narrative} What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.10 CHILL OUT-MOVE TO HONOLULU For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.10 summary This study was based on a poll that measured citizens' hostility levels and compared them with their cities' death rates.The research findings were reporting as the following: 1) people with higher hostility levels have higher rates of heart disease deaths and overall deaths; 2) cities with higher hostility scores consistently had higher death rates; 3) cities with lower hostility scores had lower death rates.The results were summarized by saying "Hostile cities may want to chill out." The study was based on 10 cities, one from each of the states with the five highest and five lowest heart disease death rates.Philadelphia had the highest levels of both (hostility and death rate), and Honolulu had the lowest levels of both (hostility and death rate).It was reported that statistically, the probability of the observed correlation between hostility and death rate occurring by chance is less than 1 in 10,000. -{Case study 27.10 narrative} Name one of the confounding variables in this study.

CASE STUDY 27.6 SEX, ALCOHOL, AND THE FIRST DATE For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.6 summary Young couples are much more likely to have sex on their first date if the male partner drinks alcohol and the woman doesn't, new research shows.The study was based on interviews with 2,052 teenagers.They reported having sex on a first date only 6% of the time if the female drank alcohol while the male did not, compared to 8% of the time when neither partner drank.Nineteen percent of the teens reported having sex when both partners drank, but the highest frequency of sex on the first date - 24 percent - was reported when only the male drank. -{Case study 27.6 narrative}What type of study was this?

CASE STUDY 27.3 CHILDREN ON THE GO For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.3 summary The researchers of this study concluded that children who move often are 35 percent more likely to fail a grade and 77 percent more likely to have behavioral problems than children whose families move rarely.These results were based on a nationwide study of 9,915 youngsters aged 6-17."High movers" were defined as those who had moved at least 6 times.High movers were 1.35 times more likely to have failed a grade and 1.77 times more likely to have developed at least four frequent behavioral problems (ranging from depression to impulsiveness to destructiveness).The results were adjusted for poverty, single parenting, belonging to a racial minority, and having parents with less than a high school education. -{Case study 27.3 narrative} Discuss how the age of the child can affect the results of this study.

CASE STUDY 27.9 SO YOU THOUGHT SPINACH WAS GOOD FOR YOU? For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.9 summary A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the antioxidant beta-carotene markedly increased the incidence of lung cancer among heavy smokers in Finland.Incidence of lung cancer was 18% higher among the 14,500 smokers who took beta-carotene than among the 14,500 who didn't.The probability that the observed increase was due to chance is less than one in one hundred.(A difference in such studies is taken seriously when the probability that it happened by chance is less than one in twenty.)This result was particularly worrying to researchers and the media, because it comes from a large, randomized clinical trial, yet it goes against all the previously available evidence.Over a hundred epidemiologic studies indicate that people who have high levels of beta-carotene in their diet and in their blood have lower risks of cancer, particularly lung cancer. -{Case study 27.9 narrative} "A difference in such studies is taken seriously when the probability that it happened by chance is less than one in twenty." What is this equivalent to saying?

CASE STUDY 27.1 ACTING OUT YOUR DREAMS For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.1 summary A sample of undergraduate psychology students were randomly divided into three groups and asked about their experiences with acting out dreams while dreaming.Group 1 was asked "On how many nights did the following occur in the last year … acting out a dream (while dreaming)?" Group 2 was asked the same question as Group 1, but with some examples given of "acting out a dream while dreaming", such as crying, laughing, making arm/ leg movements.Group 3 was given a specific list of dream-state actions and asked which of these they had experienced.That is, the subjects in Group 3 did not need to synthesize their own interpretation of the phrase "acting out a dream" or conceive of their own example actions.The proportions of positive responses for Groups 1, 2, and 3 were 35.9%, 76.7%, and 98.2%, respectively. -{Case study 27.1 narrative} What do you think is the most interesting aspect of this study?

CASE STUDY 27.3 CHILDREN ON THE GO For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.3 summary The researchers of this study concluded that children who move often are 35 percent more likely to fail a grade and 77 percent more likely to have behavioral problems than children whose families move rarely.These results were based on a nationwide study of 9,915 youngsters aged 6-17."High movers" were defined as those who had moved at least 6 times.High movers were 1.35 times more likely to have failed a grade and 1.77 times more likely to have developed at least four frequent behavioral problems (ranging from depression to impulsiveness to destructiveness).The results were adjusted for poverty, single parenting, belonging to a racial minority, and having parents with less than a high school education. -{Case study 27.3 narrative} The researchers seem to be saying (or at least implying) that moving is the cause of these problems.Is that an appropriate conclusion? Explain.

CASE STUDY 27.5 YOU CAN WORK AND GET YOUR EXERCISE AT THE SAME TIME For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.5 summary One in five clerical workers walks about a quarter mile a day just to complete routine functions like faxing, copying, and filing, a national survey on office efficiency reports.The survey also shows that the average office worker spends close to 15 percent of the day just walking around the office. -{Case study 27.5 narrative} The statistics presented in the summary above are very difficult to interpret.What is one of the issues you have with interpreting the statistics given?

CASE STUDY 27.2 CRANBERRY JUICE AND BLADDER INFECTIONS For Questions , use the following narrative Narrative: Case study 27.2 summary Researchers compared urinary bacteria levels of elderly women who drank 10 ounces of a juice drink containing cranberry juice each day to elderly women who consumed the same amount of a look-alike drink without cranberry juice (indistinguishable in taste, appearance, and vitamin C content from cranberry juice).153 elderly women participated in this study.Each one was randomly assigned to the cranberry juice group or the placebo group and was followed over a 6-month period.The women had a mean age of 78.5 years and high levels of bacteria in their urine at the start of the study.The odds in the cranberry group of having bacteria levels exceeding a certain threshold were 42% of what they were in the control group. -{Case study 27.2 narrative} Which negative effect was not being controlled for by using the placebo drink?