A new drug has recently become available which,it is claimed,will relieve the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS).A physician gave this drug to 30 patients who were known to suffer from RLS.Among these patients,24 reported they experienced some significant relief,though six reported no change.What can be concluded from this information?
A)This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of this new drug against the symptoms of RLS.
B)Nothing much can be concluded since the number of patients in the sample is too small.
C)Care must be taken in reaching any conclusion because there is uncertainty due to the number of patients reporting no effect.
D)Nothing can be concluded since the experiment did not include a control group to compare the results against.
E)Little can be concluded,at least until the experiment is repeated.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The absence of a control group means there's no way to determine if the improvements were due to the drug or other factors, such as placebo effect or natural variation in symptoms.

A New Drug Has Recently Become Available Which,it Is Claimed,will