Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis Testing: Alzheimer 's Disease
Natalie Sullivan
PSY/315
August 8, 2011
Deborah Suzzane Ph.D.
Hypothesis Testing: Alzheimer 's Disease
One in eight American’s over age 65 are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This number continues to grow as the population increases. The number of people affected by Alzheimer’s is alarming. The Alzheimer’s Association (2011) estimates that 5.4 million Americans of all ages suffer from this disease. Team A will attempt to form a hypothesis stating that the number of Alzheimer’s diagnoses will statistically increase each year at an alarming rate. We will then test our hypothesis based on data collected and provide our recommendation.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with the memory, thinking, and behavior. Dementia is caused by various diseases and conditions that result in damaged brain cells or connections between brain cells. The earliest signs of Alzheimer’s are difficulty remembering names and recent events. Apathy and depression are also early signs. Eventually, an Alzheimer’s patient will experience impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes, and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking. The causes of Alzheimer’s remain unknown. The majority of the Alzheimer’s diagnoses take place in men and women over the age of 65; however, young people can develop this disease also.
The hypothesis testing procedure consists of five steps. In the first step, the researcher will restate the question and form the research hypothesis. The null hypothesis will be the complete opposite of the research hypothesis. The second step is to determine the characteristics of the comparison distribution. The comparison distribution is the distribution that represents the population situation if the null hypothesis is true. Step three will be to determine the cutoff sample score on the comparison distribution at which the null hypothesis should be rejected. In
Natalie Sullivan
PSY/315
August 8, 2011
Deborah Suzzane Ph.D.
Hypothesis Testing: Alzheimer 's Disease
One in eight American’s over age 65 are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. This number continues to grow as the population increases. The number of people affected by Alzheimer’s is alarming. The Alzheimer’s Association (2011) estimates that 5.4 million Americans of all ages suffer from this disease. Team A will attempt to form a hypothesis stating that the number of Alzheimer’s diagnoses will statistically increase each year at an alarming rate. We will then test our hypothesis based on data collected and provide our recommendation.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with the memory, thinking, and behavior. Dementia is caused by various diseases and conditions that result in damaged brain cells or connections between brain cells. The earliest signs of Alzheimer’s are difficulty remembering names and recent events. Apathy and depression are also early signs. Eventually, an Alzheimer’s patient will experience impaired judgment, disorientation, confusion, behavior changes, and difficulty speaking, swallowing, and walking. The causes of Alzheimer’s remain unknown. The majority of the Alzheimer’s diagnoses take place in men and women over the age of 65; however, young people can develop this disease also.
The hypothesis testing procedure consists of five steps. In the first step, the researcher will restate the question and form the research hypothesis. The null hypothesis will be the complete opposite of the research hypothesis. The second step is to determine the characteristics of the comparison distribution. The comparison distribution is the distribution that represents the population situation if the null hypothesis is true. Step three will be to determine the cutoff sample score on the comparison distribution at which the null hypothesis should be rejected. In
References: Alzheimer’s Association. (2011) Alzheimer’s Early Detection Alliance. Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://www.alz.org Aron, A., Aron, E.N., & Coups, E.J Meas, Physiol (April 28, 2007) Techniques for early detection of Alzheimer 's disease using spontaneous EEG recordings Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov National Institute on Aging U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.) Alzheimer’s disease. Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov