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Steps to Complete the Week 7 Lab
Step 2: Consider the use of confidence intervals in health sciences with these articles as inspiration and insights.
Step 3: Using the data you collected for the Week 5 Lab (heights of 10 different people that you work with plus the 10 heights provided by your instructor), discuss your method of collection for the values that you are using in your study (systematic, convenience, cluster, stratified, simple random). What are some faults with this type of data collection? What other types of data collection could you have used, and how might this have affected your study?
Step 4: Now use the Week 6 Spreadsheet to help you with calculations for the following questions/statements.
a) Give a point estimate (mean) for the average height of all people at the place where you work. Start by putting the 20 heights you are working with into the blue Data column of the spreadsheet. What is your point estimate, and what does this mean?
b) Find a 95% confidence interval for the true mean height of all the people at your place of work. What is the interval? [see screenshot below]
c) Give a practical interpretation of the interval you found in part b, and explain carefully what the output means. (For example, you might say, “I am 95% confident that the true mean height of all of the people in my company is between 64 inches and 68 inches”).
d) Post a screenshot of your work from the t value Confidence Interval for µ from the Confidence Interval tab on the Week 6 Excel spreadsheet
Step 5: Now, change your confidence level to 99% for the same data, and post a screenshot of this table, as well.
Step 6: Compare the margins of error from the two screenshots. Would the margin of error be larger or smaller for the 99% CI? Explain your reasoning.
Step 7: Save the Week 7 Lab document with your answers and include your name in the title.
🛑 Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!
This lab assignment helps you understand how to apply confidence intervals to a dataset, with a focus on health sciences. The task also asks you to reflect on your data collection methods and their impact on your results. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate the lab effectively:
Step 1: Review the Articles for Inspiration (Step 2)
You’ll start by reading the provided articles to help you understand confidence intervals in the context of health sciences. These readings will give you valuable insights into how health professionals use confidence intervals to make decisions about population data. As you read, make sure to focus on:
- The purpose of confidence intervals in estimating population parameters (e.g., mean height of people at your workplace).
- How different confidence levels (like 95% or 99%) affect the interpretation of results.
- The relationship between sample size and the margin of error.
Step 2: Data Collection Method (Step 3)
You will reflect on how you collected the data for your Week 5 Lab, which involves the heights of 10 people from your workplace, as well as 10 additional heights provided by your instructor.
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Describe your data collection method:
- Was it systematic (e.g., collecting data at regular intervals)?
- Convenience (e.g., choosing people who are easiest to measure)?
- Cluster (e.g., grouping people into subgroups and sampling some from each)?
- Stratified (e.g., dividing the group into different strata like gender, age, etc., and sampling from each)?
- Simple random (e.g., randomly selecting individuals from the entire group)?
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Critique the method: Reflect on potential flaws in your data collection. For example:
- Bias: Did your data collection method introduce any bias (e.g., only measuring people in one part of the office)?
- Sample size: Was the sample size too small to represent the whole population accurately?
- Alternatives: Could you have used another method (e.g., stratified sampling) to improve accuracy? Consider how changing your method might affect the reliability of your results.
Step 3: Calculate the Point Estimate (Step 4a)
In this step, you’ll calculate the point estimate (mean) for the average height of people at your workplace.
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Data Entry: Enter the 20 heights (10 from your colleagues and 10 from the instructor) into the blue Data column in your Week 6 Spreadsheet.
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Point Estimate:
- The point estimate is simply the mean of these 20 heights.
- Use the average function in Excel to calculate the mean.
- Once you calculate it, explain what the mean represents in the context of your study. For example: “The point estimate for the average height of people at my workplace is 66.5 inches, which means this is the best estimate of the true average height for all employees.”
Step 4: Find the 95% Confidence Interval (Step 4b)
A confidence interval gives you a range of values that is likely to contain the true population mean.
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Calculating the Confidence Interval:
- In Excel, use the data and the Confidence Interval for µ tool on the Confidence Interval tab.
- Set the confidence level to 95%.
- This will calculate the lower and upper bounds of the interval.
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Interpretation:
- After calculating the interval, provide a practical interpretation of your result. For example: “I am 95% confident that the true mean height of all the people at my workplace is between 65.2 inches and 67.8 inches.”
Step 5: Change to 99% Confidence Interval (Step 5)
Now, change the confidence level to 99% and repeat the process.
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Adjust the Confidence Level: In your spreadsheet, change the confidence level from 95% to 99% and calculate the new confidence interval.
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Screenshot: Take a screenshot of your updated table and keep it ready for submission.
Step 6: Compare Margins of Error (Step 6)
In this step, you will compare the margins of error between the 95% and 99% confidence intervals.
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Margin of Error: The margin of error is the amount added or subtracted from the point estimate to create the confidence interval.
- A larger confidence level (99%) usually results in a larger margin of error.
- Think about why: A 99% confidence level means you’re more certain that the true mean lies within the interval, so the range needs to be wider.
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Comparison:
- Look at the margins of error for both intervals and explain whether the 99% CI margin of error is larger than the 95% CI margin of error.
- Example explanation: “The margin of error for the 99% confidence interval is larger than that for the 95% interval because we are more confident in our estimate, which results in a wider range.”
Step 7: Save and Submit the Lab (Step 7)
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Saving the Document: Once you’ve completed all the steps, save your lab document.
- Make sure the title includes your name (e.g., “Week 7 Lab – Confidence Intervals – [Your Name]”).
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Final Check: Review the document for any errors, especially in your calculations and interpretations.
Key Tips for Completing This Lab:
- Accuracy is key: Double-check all of your calculations to ensure your confidence intervals are correct.
- Clear interpretation: When explaining your confidence intervals, make sure you focus on what the result means in real-life terms. Avoid technical jargon and aim for clarity.
- Screenshots: Ensure your screenshots are clear and show the necessary data, such as confidence intervals and margins of error.
- APA style: If any references are used, make sure they are properly cited in APA format.
Good Luck! 🎯
By following this guide, you should have a solid understanding of how to complete each step and accurately analyze your data.