Ahmed conducts a study to test the effectiveness of a drug. He surveys the clients twice-once at intake and then six months later. He finds that the drug was overall effective, but approximately 55 percent of the original sample stopped using the drug. Therefore, he does not have posttest data for them. In this case, what is likely to be an alternative explanation for the results obtained by Ahmed?
A)Maturation
B)Mortality
C)Statistical regression
D)Diffusion of treatment

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mortality refers to the loss of participants during a study, and it can be a threat to the validity of the results. In this case, since 55% of the original sample stopped using the drug, there is a possibility that those who continued using the drug might be a biased subset of the original sample. This can lead to an overestimation of the effectiveness of the drug, and the results may not generalize to the larger population. Therefore, mortality is a potential alternative explanation for the results obtained by Ahmed.

Ahmed Conducts a Study to Test the Effectiveness of a Drug