A footwear company developed a new type of shoe designed to help delay the onset of arthritis in the knee. Eighty people with early signs of arthritis volunteered for a study. One half of the volunteers wore the experimental shoes and the other half wore regular shoes that looked exactly like the experimental shoes. The individuals wore the shoes every day. At the conclusion of the study, their symptoms were evaluated and MRI tests were performed on their knees.
(a) Identify the experimental units and treatments used in this experiment.
(b) Identify a potential problem with the experimental design being used and suggest a way to improve it.
(c) The experiment is described as a placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Explain what this means.
(d) Of the 80 volunteers, 40 are men and 40 are women. How could blocking be used in designing this experiment?