Does inpatient groups work better than outpatient groups in a drug treatment program. What would be the hypothesis, independent,dependent and control variables?
First -- define "work better."
Ms. Sue is right, you need to define your criteria for "work better" in empirical terms.
Ho: outpatient = drug treatment (in terms of your criteria)
An independent variable is the potential stimulus or cause, usually directly manipulated by the experimenter, so it could also be called a manipulative variable.
A dependent variable is the response or measure of results.
Extraneous variables — other than the independent variable — potentially can affect the dependent variable, so they must be controlled. If possible, you try to keep them constant between the experimental and control group.
The experimental group receives the independent variable.
The control group is similar to experimental, except it does not receive the independent variable. Extraneous variables are balanced between experimental and control groups.
Types of experiments
1. Single blind gives the control group a placebo — a substance that is inert, it has no physical effect. Subjects don't know if they are in experimental or control group to reduce placebo effect, a change in behavior solely due to believing that you are getting the independent variable.
2. Double blind keeps both subjects and experimenter ignorant of group setup. Distribution of the independent variable and placebo are controlled by third party. This controls for experimenter bias and self-fulfilling prophecy, which means that experimenters with particular expectations are likely to consciously or unconsciously to bias the experiment and influence it to conform to their expectations.
As an example, suppose you want to find out if fluorides reduce dental cavities. You would find two groups, trying to control the extraneous variables. Extraneous variables are found by surveying previous research in the area. In this case, you would match the groups in terms of previous history of cavities, diet and dental hygiene habits including how and how often they brush their teeth.
The experimental group would get toothpaste with the independent variable, the fluoride, while the control group would not have the fluoride in their toothpaste. The toothpaste without the fluoride would be the placebo.
The dependent variable would be the number of cavities after participating in the experiment for a time. The dependent variable indicates the results, but it is not the results. At the end of the experiment, both groups could have no change in cavities or one of the groups could have a greater reduction in cavities. (Of course, if the fluoride increased cavities, you wouldn't want to use it.) All of these varied results would be indicated in terms of the dependent variable.
If only the subjects do not know who is getting the fluoride, it is a single blind experiment. If both the subjects and experimenter do not know, it is a double blind.
To determine which type of group— inpatient or outpatient— works better in a drug treatment program, you can form the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis: Inpatient groups are more effective than outpatient groups in a drug treatment program.
Now let's identify the independent, dependent, and control variables in this study:
- Independent variable: The type of group (inpatient vs. outpatient) is the independent variable in this study. It is the variable that is manipulated or selected by the researcher.
- Dependent variable: The effectiveness of the drug treatment program is the dependent variable. It is the variable that is being measured to determine the outcome or effect of the independent variable.
- Control variable: In this case, the control variable would be any additional factors or variables that could potentially influence the effectiveness of the drug treatment program and are kept constant or controlled throughout the study. These variables could include factors like the duration of the program, the qualifications and training of the treatment providers, the treatment approach, etc.
It's important to note that to truly answer this question, a well-designed research study needs to be conducted with a representative sample, appropriate methods, and a control group to compare the outcomes between inpatient and outpatient groups.