The Placebo Effect

Is the placebo effect is increasing in the U.S.? Check out this article.

There is also something interesting called the Hawthorne Effect.

Excercise for Better Grades

Does Exercising more improve grades?
A recent New York Times article addresses this question.

June 3, 2010, 12:21 pm

Vigorous Exercise Linked With Better Grades

By TARA PARKER-POPE

College students who want to boost their grades can start by boosting their level of exercise, new research suggests.

A report presented on Thursday at the American College of Sports Medicine’s 57th annual meeting in Baltimore finds that college students who regularly engage in vigorous exercise get better grades. Although a link between physical activity and higher academic achievement has been shown in middle-school students, it hasn’t been clear whether exercise is associated with better grades among older students.

To find out, researchers at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan tracked the grades and exercise habits of 266 undergraduates. They found that students who regularly participated in vigorous physical activity had higher G.P.A.’s.

But does exercise really boost grades — Continue Reading...

Mythbusters lightbulb experiment 2/2

Mythbusters lightbulb experiment 1/2

Sampling Plans - In the news

In a news Article posted by CNN on 10/4/2010 you can get some information on the sampling plan and how you should write up a sampling plan.

"The poll of 1,006 adult Americans, of which 921 were registered voters, was conducted by phone October 27-30, before the midterm elections.

The sample also included 500 respondents who describe themselves as Republicans or independents who lean Republican, and 453 respondents who describe themselves as Democrats or independents who lean Democratic. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

CNN also conducted exit polls on Election Day in some of the states that vote first in the presidential primary calendar.

In Iowa, 21 percent of Republicans questioned as they exited the voting booth said that Romney was their likely choice in the 2012 Iowa caucuses, with Huckabee also at 21 percent, Palin at 18 percent, Gingrich at 7 percent and one in five saying they would support another possible candidate.

In New Hampshire, 39 percent of Republicans said that Romney is their likely choice in the state's primary, with Palin at 18 percent, Huckabee at 11 percent, Gingrich at eight percent and 19 percent saying they would back another possible contender.

Twenty-five percent of South Carolina Republicans say Palin would be their likely primary choice, followed by Huckabee at 24 percent, Romney at 21 percent and Gingrich at 10 percent."

For the full article click here.