1
PSY 325 final exam essay 2022/2023 update success
guaranteed
Part I: Essay Questions
In this first essay, researchers look to answer the question of which influenza treatment is
more effective in preventing the flu. The hypothesis of this research would be one of the two, the
nasal spray is more effective than the shot in preventing flu or, the shot is more effective in
preventing the flu. The null hypothesis for this research would be that neither the spray or the
shot has a more significant effect on flu prevention. When we analyze the given data for this
research we can see that this test was very statistically significant. As stated in the given data,
the level of significance was set at .05 and the calculated p-value = .0008. The p-value is
significantly lower than .05 which indicates that the probability of the null hypothesis happening
0.08%. From this information, the researchers would be able to reject their null hypothesis and
begin looking for where the significance between the two treatments takes place.
The information states that out of the 500 test subjects that were treated with the flu shot,
16% of them still got the flu. On the other hand, out of the 500 test subjects that were treated
with the nasal spray, 24% came down with the flu. With these percentages in mind, we can
clearly see that there is enough evidence to support the alternative hypothesis in that one flu
treatment is more effective than the other. In this case, according to the test results, the most
effective treatment prevention for the flu is the flu shot. You are 8% more likely to contract the
flu using the nasal treatment over the shot.
From the information, I would say that the sample was not appropriate for this study.
1000 test subjects may seem like a good number to conduct a pharmaceutical trial however when
you look at the numbers of reported flu symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths from the flu,
1000 test subjects is just not enough. For example, according to the CDC, for the years of 2017-
2018, there was an estimate of 49 million related symptoms, 960 thousand hospitalizations, and
, 2
PSY 325 final exam essay 2022/2023 update success
guaranteed
79 thousand deaths caused by the flu (2018). In my opinion with those large numbers of deaths
alone, a sample of 1000 test subjects is just not enough though it is a good start.
Possible limitations throughout this study could possibly include the diversity of their
sample. For example, it is not stated if the test subjects are male or female or their ethnicities.
There have been previous studies that study the immune system of different ethnic groups, in one
study researchers found that those from African descent have high antibody levels to rubella
vaccinations when compared to those of European or Hispanic descent (Haralambieva, et, 2014).
If the test sample used in this test was predominantly one ethnicity, these results could be
inaccurate if people of different ethnic backgrounds react to the flu vaccination the same way
they did when it came to the rubella vaccination. Another limitation would be that there is no
control group listed in this study. I believe all good pharmaceutical trials should have a control
group. A control group would help to determine if these results were indeed true. For example, if
there was another 500 test subjects involved in a control group and were given a flu treatment
placebo, and only 30% got the flu there may be a question as to how well the real treatments
actually work. The last limitation would be the ages of the test subjects involved. The flu is more
prone to individuals under the age of 5, over the age of 65, and women who are pregnant (CDC,
2018). Testing individuals who are more prone to contracting the flu virus may be more ideal for
this experiment.
If I were to conduct a follow-up study, I would test a larger number of individuals and
make sure there is strong gender, ethnic, and age diversity within my study. I would also find an
area within the United States that had the most reported cases of influenza and select my test
subjects from that area. My study would be a two-year study using the same group of test
subjects. The first year half of the test subjects would receive the nasal treatment and half the flu
PSY 325 final exam essay 2022/2023 update success
guaranteed
Part I: Essay Questions
In this first essay, researchers look to answer the question of which influenza treatment is
more effective in preventing the flu. The hypothesis of this research would be one of the two, the
nasal spray is more effective than the shot in preventing flu or, the shot is more effective in
preventing the flu. The null hypothesis for this research would be that neither the spray or the
shot has a more significant effect on flu prevention. When we analyze the given data for this
research we can see that this test was very statistically significant. As stated in the given data,
the level of significance was set at .05 and the calculated p-value = .0008. The p-value is
significantly lower than .05 which indicates that the probability of the null hypothesis happening
0.08%. From this information, the researchers would be able to reject their null hypothesis and
begin looking for where the significance between the two treatments takes place.
The information states that out of the 500 test subjects that were treated with the flu shot,
16% of them still got the flu. On the other hand, out of the 500 test subjects that were treated
with the nasal spray, 24% came down with the flu. With these percentages in mind, we can
clearly see that there is enough evidence to support the alternative hypothesis in that one flu
treatment is more effective than the other. In this case, according to the test results, the most
effective treatment prevention for the flu is the flu shot. You are 8% more likely to contract the
flu using the nasal treatment over the shot.
From the information, I would say that the sample was not appropriate for this study.
1000 test subjects may seem like a good number to conduct a pharmaceutical trial however when
you look at the numbers of reported flu symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths from the flu,
1000 test subjects is just not enough. For example, according to the CDC, for the years of 2017-
2018, there was an estimate of 49 million related symptoms, 960 thousand hospitalizations, and
, 2
PSY 325 final exam essay 2022/2023 update success
guaranteed
79 thousand deaths caused by the flu (2018). In my opinion with those large numbers of deaths
alone, a sample of 1000 test subjects is just not enough though it is a good start.
Possible limitations throughout this study could possibly include the diversity of their
sample. For example, it is not stated if the test subjects are male or female or their ethnicities.
There have been previous studies that study the immune system of different ethnic groups, in one
study researchers found that those from African descent have high antibody levels to rubella
vaccinations when compared to those of European or Hispanic descent (Haralambieva, et, 2014).
If the test sample used in this test was predominantly one ethnicity, these results could be
inaccurate if people of different ethnic backgrounds react to the flu vaccination the same way
they did when it came to the rubella vaccination. Another limitation would be that there is no
control group listed in this study. I believe all good pharmaceutical trials should have a control
group. A control group would help to determine if these results were indeed true. For example, if
there was another 500 test subjects involved in a control group and were given a flu treatment
placebo, and only 30% got the flu there may be a question as to how well the real treatments
actually work. The last limitation would be the ages of the test subjects involved. The flu is more
prone to individuals under the age of 5, over the age of 65, and women who are pregnant (CDC,
2018). Testing individuals who are more prone to contracting the flu virus may be more ideal for
this experiment.
If I were to conduct a follow-up study, I would test a larger number of individuals and
make sure there is strong gender, ethnic, and age diversity within my study. I would also find an
area within the United States that had the most reported cases of influenza and select my test
subjects from that area. My study would be a two-year study using the same group of test
subjects. The first year half of the test subjects would receive the nasal treatment and half the flu
