Use the following to answer questions :

-Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion that the treatment is effective?
A) Statistical analyses reveal a p-value of only 0.01.
B) There is reason to believe that the placebo contains a substance that might tend to weaken performance.
C) The researcher who scored the tests was unaware of which tests were completed by control group members.
D) Subjects in the control group were told they were receiving an effective form of treatment.

Question

Use the following to answer questions :
 
-Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously weaken the conclusion that the treatment is effective?
A) Statistical analyses reveal a p-value of only 0.01. 
B) There is reason to believe that the placebo contains a substance that might tend to weaken performance. 
C) The researcher who scored the tests was unaware of which tests were completed by control group members. 
D) Subjects in the control group were told they were receiving an effective form of treatment.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A low p-value (A) typically strengthens the conclusion that a treatment is effective by indicating that the observed effect is unlikely to have occurred by chance. The researcher being unaware of which tests were completed by control group members (C) is a measure to prevent bias, thus supporting the validity of the study. Telling subjects in the control group they were receiving an effective form of treatment (D) could introduce a placebo effect, but it doesn't directly weaken the conclusion about the treatment's effectiveness. However, if the placebo contains a substance that might weaken performance (B), this could artificially inflate the perceived effectiveness of the treatment, directly undermining the conclusion that the treatment itself is effective.

Use the Following to Answer Questions