A new diet has been developed for raising beef cows. Two random samples of size 9 are independently selected, and one is given the standard diet while the other is given the new diet. After 18 weeks, the weight gain was measured for each cow. It was found that x̄₁= 30 with S₁= 8 and x̄₂= 26 with S₂= 6. Let μ₁ and μ₂ represent the mean weight gains we would observe for the entire population of beef cows when on, respectively, a new diet and a standard diet. Assume that two-sample t procedures are safe to use. About which of the following characteristics would it have been most important that the researchers be blind during the experiment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

It is most important that the researchers be blind to which diet the cows received because this information could potentially influence their measurements or observations of weight gain. If the researchers were not blind, they might unintentionally record higher weight gains for the cows on the new diet (or vice versa) due to their prior knowledge or expectations. Being blind to the other characteristics listed (male/female, purpose of the research, initial weight) may also be important for reducing bias, but they are less likely to directly impact measurements of weight gain.

A New Diet Has Been Developed for Raising Beef Cows