This assessment is designed to test your ability to understand, describe and make conclusions about descriptive and inferential statistics.
Assessment 4
This assessment is designed to test your ability to understand, describe and make conclusions about descriptive and inferential statistics.
Consider the research scenario below. Refer to the scenario when answering all of the questions in this assessment. Included below is a dataset from the research scenario. Use the dataset to generate statistics in the provided spreadsheet. You will be required to insert the data in the correct place in the spreadsheet to correctly generate the statistics. These statistics will be used for all the answers you provide in this assignment.
Research scenario
You have been asked to complete the research statistics analysis for a research project. The details of the project are in the scenario below.
If you own a dog, one of the best things about them is that if you come home after a bad day, a pat and a cuddle can help you feel a lot better. It is likely this kind of experience that led people to take dogs into hospitals and develop Canine Visitation Therapy (CVT). Currently, Lort Smith Animal Hospital coordinates a program that involves volunteers visiting a ward with dogs at the Royal Childrens Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne. This program provides a distraction from the hospital environment for the children and socialisation for the dogs carefully selected for visits.Children can get comfort from this approach, when they are in hospital for a variety of reasons. These could include cancer or post-surgery recovery.
The hospital is considering expanding the program across other wards, but wants to know whether there is any benefit of CVT beyond positive anecdotal reports from nurses. The research team has been asked to investigate whether children who receive CVT report less perceived pain than children who do not. This information will help RCH provide feedback to Lort Smith and help the organisation obtain funding for the volunteer program.
After getting consent from guardians, 60 children aged between 5 and 12 attending the RCH were recruited. Two wards were chosen to conduct the study. Thirty children from the surgical recovery ward were chosen by the researchers to form one group (group 1), and thirty children from the cancer ward were chosen by researchers to form the second group (Group 2).
The children in the surgical recovery ward (Group 1) received usual care for 2 weeks. While at the same time, the children in the cancer ward (Group 2) received the canine intervention. The intervention involved taking 2 Golden Retrievers, Called Grace and Grover, to the ward to interact with the children for one hour each day for 2 weeks.
The outcome measure for the study was the self-perceived pain scale. This is a scale that is marked out of 10 (greater pain level means higher score on the pain scale). Participants were given a sheet of paper with the pain scale, and to rate the level of pain they were experiencing with a pen. The measure was taken at 2 time points. The first time point was before the intervention (known as pre-test) and again after the intervention was applied at the end of the 2-week treatment period (known as post-test).
The dataset for the pain data is found below. It includes the pre-test (before CVT intervention) scores for both groups at the start of the study, and the post-test (after CVT intervention) scores for both groups at the end of the study.
Group 1 participant ID number Group 1 Pre-test self-perceived pain score Group 1 Post-test self-perceived pain score Group 2 participant ID number Group 2 Pre-test self-perceived pain score Group 2 post-test self-perceived pain score
1 9 7 1 5 2
2 10 6 2 6 4
3 8 6 3 6 4
4 9 8 4 7 4
5 7 4 5 7 5
6 9 5 6 6 2
7 8 2 7 9 4
8 9 5 8 10 3
9 9 6 9 7 3
10 9 9 10 9 6
11 8 7 11 8 4
12 6 5 12 8 8
13 8 4 13 7 5
14 9 8 14 9 7
15 7 3 15 7 5
16 9 5 16 5 3
17 9 6 17 6 2
18 9 6 18 7 1
19 8 4 19 8 4
20 10 7 20 7 6
21 7 3 21 8 2
22 8 8 22 8 3
23 9 6 23 6 5
24 10 5 24 7 4
25 7 3 25 8 7
26 10 7 26 7 6
27 6 6 27 8 5
28 10 3 28 5 2
29 8 4 29 7 3
30 9 8 30 6 1
Instructions for assessment.
Research statistics spreadsheet
You have been asked to calculate and report on the results from the study. Use the dataset to create both descriptive and inferential statistics. Use the attached spreadsheet to create the statistics and save the spreadsheet in the Turnitin submission portal.
Part 1: Descriptive statistics (use the template named Part 1: Answer template (descriptive statistics) to submit your answers. Do not submit answer using this document)
Question 1: Write the pre-test and post-test descriptive statistics for group 1 AND group 2 in the study. Make it clear what statistic you are referring to in each instance.
(200 words max).
Question 2: Referring to the details of the study, explain the meaning of the descriptive statistics in a way that peers could understand. Refer to all descriptive statistics in your response.
(200 words max)
Question 3: This question requires you to complete all of the following tasks. In each instance, refer to the descriptive statistics that you have generated to support your discussion.
Consider the pre-test descriptive statistics and the difference between the average (mean) pain scores of the two groups. Referring to the scenario in your answers,
Describe your observations of the pre-test mean scores between group 1 and group 2. How could this have occurred and what conclusion can you make about the allocation process of participants to groups.
How could this affect the outcomes of the study.
Based on your previous responses in this question and using the statistics as a basis for your discussion, explain in detail how a similar study could adopt an improved approach.
(400 words max)
Part 2: Inferential statistics. (use the template named Part 2: Answer template (inferential statistics) to submit your answers. Do not submit answer using this document)
Question 4: Write all the inferential statistics that you generated for the study for the study. Make it clear what statistic you are referring to in each instance.
(200 words max)
Questions 5: Referring to the details of the study, explain the meaning of the inferential statistics in a way that peers could understand. Refer to all inferential statistics in your response.
(200 words max)
Question 6: This question requires you to complete all of the following tasks. In each instance, refer to the inferential that you have generated to support your discussion.
Write a conclusion for the study based on the inferential statistics and provide a recommendation for clinical practice based on the results.
Identify and Explain at least 1 limitation for the study and propose an alternative technique that the researchers could use in future studies (do not use the same response as question 2 in part 2)
Propose one possible future study that should be conducted based on the outcomes of this study.
(400 words max)
Part 1: Answer template (descriptive statistics)Enter your responses under each question below. Submit this document in the relevant Turnitin link
Question 1: Write the pre-test and post-test descriptive statistics for group 1 AND group 2 in the study. Make it clear what statistic you are referring to in each instance.
(200 words max).
Enter response
Question 2: Referring to the details of the study, explain the meaning of the descriptive statistics in a way that peers could understand. Refer to all descriptive statistics in your response.
(200 words max)
Enter response
Question 3: This question requires you to complete all of the following tasks. In each instance, refer to the descriptive statistics that you have generated to support your discussion.
Consider the pre-test descriptive statistics and the difference between the average (mean) pain scores of the two groups. Referring to the scenario in your answers,
Describe your observations of the pre-test mean scores between group 1 and group 2. How could this have occurred and what conclusion can you make about the allocation process of participants to groups.
How could this affect the outcomes of the study.
Based on your previous responses in this question and using the statistics as a basis for your discussion, explain in detail how a similar study could adopt an improved approach.
(400 words max)
Enter response
Part 2: Answer template (Inferential statistics)Enter your responses under each question below. Submit this document in the relevant Turnitin link.
Question 4: Write all the inferential statistics that you generated for the study for the study. Make it clear what statistic you are referring to in each instance.
(200 words max)
Enter responseQuestions 5: Referring to the details of the study, explain the meaning of the inferential statistics in a way that peers could understand. Refer to all inferential statistics in your response.
(200 words max)
Enter responseQuestion 6: This question requires you to complete all of the following tasks. In each instance, refer to the inferential that you have generated to support your discussion.
Write a conclusion for the study based on the inferential statistics and provide a recommendation for clinical practice based on the results.
Identify and Explain at least 1 limitation for the study and propose an alternative technique that the researchers could use in future studies (do not use the same response as question 2 in part 2)
Propose one possible future study that should be conducted based on the outcomes of this study.
(400 words max)
Enter response
