An investigator has conducted a study where it is hypothesized that exposing premature babies to small amounts of caffeine within 24 hours of birth will decrease their length of hospital stay. The sample size for the study was 80. The mean length of stay for the infants given caffeine was 40 (SD=12) days. The literature reports that premature infants given noncaffeine stimulants within 24 hours had a mean length of stay of 46 (SD=13) days.
A)Does caffeine do a better job at reducing the length of stay? Support your answer with statistical evidence.
B)After additional investigation, the investigator realizes that the distribution of length of stay is skewed. How does that impact the findings in (a)? What advice would you give the investigator for answering the question of whether caffeine does a better job at reducing the length of stay?

Question

An investigator has conducted a study where it is hypothesized that exposing premature babies to small amounts of caffeine within 24 hours of birth will decrease their length of hospital stay. The sample size for the study was 80. The mean length of stay for the infants given caffeine was 40 (SD=12) days. The literature reports that premature infants given noncaffeine stimulants within 24 hours had a mean length of stay of 46 (SD=13) days. 
A)Does caffeine do a better job at reducing the length of stay? Support your answer with statistical evidence. 
B)After additional investigation, the investigator realizes that the distribution of length of stay is skewed. How does that impact the findings in (a)? What advice would you give the investigator for answering the question of whether caffeine does a better job at reducing the length of stay?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer of An investigator has conducted a study where it is hypothesized that exposing premature babies to small amounts of caffeine within 24 hours of birth will decrease their length of hospital stay. The sample size for the study was 80. The mean length of stay for the infants given caffeine was 40 (SD=12) days. The literature reports that premature infants given noncaffeine stimulants within 24 hours had a mean length of stay of 46 (SD=13) days. 
A)Does caffeine do a better job at reducing the length of stay? Support your answer with statistical evidence. 
B)After additional investigation, the investigator realizes that the distribution of length of stay is skewed. How does that impact the findings in (a)? What advice would you give the investigator for answering the question of whether caffeine does a better job at reducing the length of stay?

An Investigator Has Conducted a Study Where It Is Hypothesized