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All courses Algebra II · S-IC.5 51 of 55
Use randomized-experiment data and simulations to compare treatments and judge significance.

Identify experimental conditions, unit, response, and contrast

Problem
Patients are randomly assigned a new drug or placebo, and pain score is measured. Identify the treatment, control, experimental unit, response, and treatment-minus-control comparison.
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Hint

Identify what receives the random label before naming the outcome.

Treatment/reference are assigned conditions; experimental unit receives assignment; response is measured; contrast order determines effect sign.

Solution walkthrough

01

Name the two conditions

\[\text{treatment}=\text{new}~\text{drug};~\text{control}=\text{placebo}\]

The new drug is the intervention of interest, while the placebo supplies the comparison condition.

02

Identify unit and response

\[\text{experimental}~\text{unit}=\text{one}~\text{patient};~\text{response}=\text{pain}~\text{score}\]

Each patient independently receives a condition, and pain score is the outcome measured on that patient.

03

Set the direction of comparison

\[\text{comparison}=\text{mean}~\text{pain}~\text{score}~\text{for}~\text{drug}-\text{mean}~\text{pain}~\text{score}~\text{for}~\text{placebo}\]

Treatment-minus-control fixes the drug group first and the placebo group second.

04

State all design components

\[\text{Treatment}:~\text{new}~\text{drug};~\text{control}:~\text{placebo};~\text{unit}:~\text{one}~\text{patient};~\text{response}:~\text{pain}~\text{score};~\text{compare}~\text{mean}~\text{pain}~\text{score}~\text{for}~\text{drug}~\text{minus}~\text{placebo}.\]

Each requested role and the comparison direction follows directly from the randomized design.

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Another way

  1. Read the study as who gets what and what is measured: a patient gets drug or placebo, then contributes a pain score.

!

Common mistake

Do not call the entire treatment group one experimental unit; treatment is assigned to individual patients.

Solution walkthrough video