Discussion Board 4 – PSY 300

  

Review the following scenarios and explain what a Type I and Type II error would mean in each case.  Decide which is worse and explain your position.
Scenario 1: Two drugs are being compared for effectiveness in treating the same condition. Drug 1 is very affordable, but Drug 2 is extremely expensive.  The null hypothesis is “both drugs are equally effective,” and the alternative is “Drug 2 is more effective than Drug 1.”
Scenario 2: Two drugs are known to be equally effective for a certain condition. They are also each equally affordable. However, there is some suspicion that Drug 2 causes a serious side-effect in some patients, whereas Drug 1 has been used for decades with no reports of the side effect. The null hypothesis is “the incidence of the side effect in both drugs is the same”, and the alternative is “the incidence of the side effect in Drug 2 is greater than that in Drug 1.”
Lastly, explain at least two ways in which you could reduce the type of error that you decided was most problematic.
Make sure to check back later in the week to respond thoughtfully to at least two classmates’ posts in order to earn full credit.