Class 13 Coke vs. Pepsi: Designing an experiment

Handout

The article "Linking technology and health groups to find best care" from the current Chance News

Coke vs. Pepsi: Designing an experiment

Identify a member of your group who claims to be able to tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke. (Coke Classic, that is; accept no substitutes!) Design and carry out an experiment to test whether this is true. Remember that one swallow doth not a summer make: Don't certify your taste-tester just on the basis of one experiment. Decide exactly what data you will collect and what you will do with the data before you start collecting it. Also, remember the story of clever Hans, and consider the benefits of a doubleblind study.

Journal Assignments

  1. Read the article "Linking technology and health groups to find best care". Consider such questions as: Is this an effective method to find the best care? What do you think of this use of medical records? Record your thoughts in your journal.
  2. We would like you to include in your journal on November 1 a brief description of your proposed final project.