Chapter 1, Problem 8CRP

General: Experiment How would you use a completely randomized experiment in each of the following settings? Is a placebo being used or not? Be specific and give details.

1. (a) A charitable nonprofit organization wants to test two methods of fundraising. From a list of 1000 past donors, half will be sent literature about the successful activities of the charity and asked to make another donation. The other 500 donors will be contacted by phone and asked to make another donation. The percentage of people from each group who make a new donation will be compared.
2. (b) A tooth-whitening gel is to be tested for effectiveness. A group of 85 adults have volunteered to participate in the study. Of these, 43 are to be given a gel that contains the tooth-whitening chemicals. The remaining 42 are to be given a similar-looking package of gel that does not contain the tooth-whitening chemicals. A standard method will be used to evaluate the whiteness of teeth for all participants. Then the results for the two groups will be compared. How could this experiment be designed to be double-blind?
3. (c) Consider the experiment described in part (a). Describe how you would use a randomized block experiment with blocks based on age. Use three blocks: donors younger than 30 years old, donors 30 to 59 years old, donors 60 and older.