Week 7 Lab Assignment

Name: Saradha Gautam______ Instructor Name: _______________

Please use this template to help answer the questions listed in the lab
instructions. The “steps” below refer to the steps listed in the lab instructions.
Type your answers and post your screenshots in the spaces given.

1. Write a paragraph summarizing what you learned from the articles

provided. Consider the use of confidence intervals in health sciences with
these articles as inspiration and insights.
Confidence intervals (CIs) are essential in health sciences because they indicate
the range within which the true population parameter is expected to lie, thus
reflecting the estimate's precision. When comparing two mean values, a lack of
overlap between their CIs signifies a statistically significant difference, whereas
overlap suggests the means could represent the same population parameter. For
instance, if the 95% CI for mean blood pressure (BP) in an exercising group is
110-130 mmHg and in a sedentary group is 120-160 mmHg, the overlapping
intervals indicate no significant difference. Conversely, if the sedentary group’s
CI is 136-144 mmHg, the non-overlapping intervals indicate a significant
difference. Additionally, the CI's width is crucial for determining the estimate's
reliability; narrower intervals denote higher precision, while wider intervals
indicate the need for more data. Therefore, CIs are vital for accurately
interpreting data and making informed decisions in health research.

Data Collection

Use the data set you collected for the Week 5 lab (heights of 10 different people
plus the 10 heights provided by your instructor). (NOTE: This is NOT the data
used in the lab video, which is about midterm grades. Do not use the midterm
grades data.)

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Provide a screenshot of your Week 5 Data (20 Heights)

Summarize the Preliminary Calculations (Round to 2 decimal places):

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Sample Mean: 65.2 Inches

Standard Deviation: 3.65 Inches

Your Height: 61 Inches

Please answer the following questions in complete sentences:

1. Discuss your method of collection for the values that you are using in your
study (systematic, convenience, cluster, stratified, simple random).

The data collection method used for this study is convenience sampling. The
participants for my study were the height data of my 10 friends in inches,
including myself and remaining 10 data were provided by my professor. It was
convenient for me to collect data from them.

2. What are some faults with this type of data collection?

The primary fault with convenience sampling is that it may not accurately
represent the entire population, leading to biased results.

3. What other types of data collection could you have used, and how might
this have affected your study?

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When considering alternative methods of data collection, I could have used
Simple Random Sampling involves giving every individual in the population an
equal chance of being. This includes randomly selecting individuals from the
entire population, ensuring each member has an equal opportunity to be part the
sample. This method helps increase the representativeness of the sample and
provides a more accurate estimate of population parameters by reducing bias.

Systematic Sampling, on the other hand, starts with choosing a random point and
then selecting every nth individual from a list of the population. For instance, if
every 5th person on a list is picked, this method is applied. It is easier to execute
compared to simple random sampling and can offer a representative sample if
the population list is randomly ordered. However, if there is a hidden pattern in
the population list that aligns with the sampling interval, it might introduce bias.

Calculation of 95% Confidence Interval

1. Give a point estimate (mean) for the average height of all people at the place
where you work. What is your point estimate, and what does this mean?

My point estimate is 65.2 inches. This means that the best estimate of the
average height, based on the sample data provided, is 65.2 inches.

2. Find a 95% confidence interval for the true mean of heights. What is the
interval? [Provide a Screenshot of your work from the t value Confidence

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 Interval for µ from the Confidence Interval tab on the Week 6 Excel
spreadsheet]

3. Give a practical interpretation of the 95% confidence interval [Write a

complete sentence].

The 95% confidence interval for the mean height of people at the workplace is
63.49 to 66.91 inches. This means that we are 95% confident that the true mean
height of all individuals lies within this range.

Calculation of 99% Confidence Interval

Now, change your confidence level to 99% for the same data.

1. Find a 99% confidence interval for the true mean of heights. What is the
interval? [Provide a Screenshot of your work from the t value Confidence

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 Interval for µ from the Confidence Interval tab on the Week 6 Excel
spreadsheet]

2. Give a practical interpretation of the 99% confidence interval [Write a

complete sentence].

The 99% confidence interval for the mean height of people at the workplace is
62.86 to 67.53 inches. This means that we are 99% confident that the true mean
height of all individuals lies within this range.

Compare Margins of Error

1. Would the margin of error be larger or smaller for the 99% CI? Explain your
reasoning.

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 The margin of error would be larger for the 99% confidence interval this is
because the margin of error is directly related to the confidence level:
higher confidence levels require a wider range to ensure that the population
parameter falls within that range with the specified level of confidence

2. As the confidence level increases, what happens to the Margin of Error?

As the confidence level increases, the margin of error also increases.

Save and Submit

Be sure your name is on the Word document, save it, and then submit it. In the
assignment module, click “start assignment” and then “upload file” and “submit
assignment”.