Paired Samples versus Independent

Samples
Paired Design 1
With paired data, we are
interested in comparing the
responses within each pair. We
will analyze the differences of
the responses that form each
pair.
Paired Data: Response = Annual Salary (in $1000s)
Wife Response

Husband Response

Difference = Wife - Husband

15

20

15 - 20 = -5

45

31

45 - 31 = 14

50

50

50 - 50 = 0

16

30

16 - 30 = -14

56

72

56 - 72 = -16
Mean Difference = -4.2

Paired

Design 2

DEFINITION:
We have paired or matched samples when we know, in
advance, that an observation in one data set is directly
related to a specific observation in the other data set. It
may be that the related sets of units are each measured

once (Paired Design 1), or that the same unit is measured

twice (Paired Design 2). In a paired design, the two sets of
data must have the same number of observations.
Independent Samples Design

Independent Samples Data:

Response = Annual Salary (in $1000s)
Women Response

Men Response

15

20

45

31

50

50

16

30

56

72

Mean for Women = 36.4

Mean for Men = 40.6

Difference in the means = 36.4 - 40.6 = -4.2

In the two independent samples scenario, we will compare

the responses of one treatment group as a whole to the
responses of the other treatment group as a whole. We will
calculate summary measures for the observations from
one treatment group and compare them to similar
summary measures calculated from the observations from
the other treatment group.

DEFINITION:
We have two independent samples when two unrelated
sets of units are measured, one sample from each

population, as in Independent Samples Design 11.3. In a

design with two independent samples, although the same
sample size is often preferable, the sample sizes might be
different.

Lets Do It! Paired Samples versus Independent

Samples
(a) Three hundred registered voters were selected at
random, 30 from each of 10 midwestern counties, to
participate in a study on attitudes about how well
the president is performing his job. They were each
asked
to
answer
a
short
multiple-choice
questionnaire and then they watched a 20-minute
video that presented information about the job
description of the president. After watching the
video, the same 300 selected voters were asked to
answer a follow-up multiple-choice questionnaire.
The investigator of this study will have two sets of
data: the initial questionnaire scores and the followup questionnaire scores.
Is this a paired or
independent samples design?
Circle one:
Paired
Independent
Explain:

(b) Thirty dogs were selected at random from those

residing at the humane society last month. The 30 dogs
were split at random into two groups. The first group of
15 dogs was trained to perform a certain task using a
reward method. The second group of 15 dogs was

trained to perform the same task using a rewardpunishment method. The investigator of this study will
have two sets of data: the learning times for the dogs
trained with the reward method and the learning times
for the dogs trained with the reward-punishment
method.
Is this a paired or independent samples
design?
Circle one:
Paired
Independent
Explain:

p. 676
Lets Do It! 2 Design a Study
For each of the following research questions, briefly
describe how you might design a study to address the
question (discuss whether paired or independent samples
would be obtained):
(a) Do freshmen students use the library to study more
often than senior students?

(b) Do books cost more on average at the local bookstore

or through Amazon.com?

(c) Will taking summer school improve reading levels for

Kindergarteners going into first grade?

Paired Samples
In a paired design, units in each par are alike (in fact, they
may be the same unit), whereas units in different pairs
may be quite dissimilar.

observation for
treatment 1
observation for
treatment 2

Population of Paired Observations

D = difference = treatment 1 - treatment 2

Since we are interested in the difference for each pair, the

differences are what we analyze in paired designs.

Example

Weight Change

A study was conducted to estimate the mean weight

change of a female adult who quits smoking. The weights
of eight female adults before they stopped smoking and
five weeks after they stopped smoking were recorded. The
differences, computed as after -before, are given below.
Subject
After
Before
Difference

1
154
148
6

2
181
176
5

3
151
153
-2

4
120
116
4

5
131
129
2

6
130
128
2

7
121
120
1

8
128
132
-4

Here we have another example of a paired design.

(a) Compute the sample mean difference in weight.
(b) Compute the sample standard deviation of the
differences.

p. 629

Solution
(a) The sample mean difference is

=1.75 pounds. Note

that the differences computed as after - before

represent the weight gain for a subject. A positive
value indicates weight gain and a negative value
indicates a weight loss.
(b) The sample standard deviation is SD =3.412 pounds

The t-Test
Paired T-Test
Paired
Hypotheses:
versus
versus
versus

Data:

or
or
.

The sample of n differences, generically written as

d1 , d 2 , , d n from which the sample mean difference d and the
sample standard deviation of the differences s D can be
computed.

bserved Test Statistic:

d 0
sD
n

and the null distribution for the T variable is a

t(n-1) distribution.
p-value: We find the p-value for the test using the t(n - 1) distribution.
The direction of extreme will depend on how the alternative
hypothesis is expressed.
Decision: A p-value less than or equal to leads to rejection of H0
Notes:
If we are interested in assessing if D is equal to some
hypothesized value that is not 0, we would replace 0 in the test
statistic expression with this other null value.
The test statistic is the same no matter how the alternative
hypothesis is expressed.

Example Comparing Test Scores

A group of 10 randomly selected children of elementary
school age among those in the Mankato County who were
recently diagnosed with asthma was tested to see if a new
childrens educational video is effective in increasing the
childrens knowledge about asthma. A nurse gave the
children an oral test containing questions about asthma
before and after seeing the animated video. The test
scores are given below:
Child:
Before:
After:

1
2
9
10
61 60
53 56
67 62
62 57

52

74

64

75

42

63

54

83

60

89

44

67

Mean = 60
Mean =64.5

(a) Explain why we have paired data here and not two
independent samples.
(b) We are interested in examining the differences in the
scores for each child. Compute the differences and
find the sample mean difference and the sample
standard deviation of the differences.

(c) The researchers wish to assess if the data provide

sufficient evidence to conclude that the mean score
after viewing the educational video is significantly
higher than the mean score before the viewing. The
test will be conduced at the 5% level of significance.
State the appropriate hypotheses to be tested in
terms of the population mean difference in test scores
d .
(d)
Compute the observed t-test statistic value.
(e) Find the corresponding p-value.
(f) State the decision and conclusion using a 5%
significance level.
Solution
(a) Since we have two observations from the same child,
we have paired data.
(b) The observed differences computed here as are as
follows: after-before.
Child:

1
8
d = After - Before 6
4

2
3
9 10
2
2
9 1

-4

14

Mean diff =4.5

The first observed difference is 6 and is represented by d1,

and the last difference is also positive and is represented
by d10 = 1. The observed sample mean difference is d 4.5 ,
which is our estimate of the unknown mean difference, D .
The observed sample standard deviation of the differences
. , which is our estimate of the unknown
is s D 5126
population standard deviation D .
(c) Since we defined our differences as diff =after before, it is positive differences that would show some
support that the video is effective in improving the

mean test score. Thus the corresponding hypotheses

to be tested are H : 0 versus H1: D 0 .
0

(d)
t

The

observed

4.5 0
2.78
.
5126
.
10

t-test

statistic

is

given

by

This means we observed a sample mean difference that

was about 2.78 standard errors above the hypothesized
mean difference of zero.
Is this large enough (that is, far enough above zero) to
reject the null hypothesis?
t(9)

(e) The p-value is the probability of

Area=pvalue
getting a test statistic as large
as or larger than the
observed test statistic of
2.78
0
2.78, computed using a t-distribution with nine
degrees of freedom.
With the TI Using the tcdf: p-value = P T 2.78 = tcdf(2.78,
E99, 9) = 0.0107
Using the T-Test function under the STAT TESTS
menu.
In the TESTS menu located under the STAT button, we
select the
2:T-Test option. With the sample mean of 4.5,
the sample standard deviation of 5.126, and the sample
size of n = 10, we can use the Stats option of this test.
The corresponding input and output screens are shown.
Notice that the null or hypothesized value is zero.

p-value = P T 2.78 = 0.01077.

(f) Decision and Conclusion
Since our p-value is less than 0.05, at the 0.05
significance level we would reject H 0 , and conclude there is
sufficient evidence to say that the mean score after
viewing the educational video is significantly higher than
the mean score before the viewing.

Lets Do It!
Two creams are available by prescription for treating
moderate skin burns.
A study to compare the
effectiveness of the two creams is conducted using 15
patients with moderate burns on their arms. Two spots of
the same size and degree of burn are marked on each
patients arm. One of the two creams is selected at

random and applied to the first spot, while the remaining

spot is treated with the other cream. The number of days
until the burn has healed is recorded for each spot. These
data are provided with the difference in healing time (in
days).
Consider the data and interval estimate for comparing the
two burn cream treatments in
Patient
Number
Cream1= C1
Cream2= C2
Diff =C1- C2

16 2
14 4
2
-2

10 7
10 4
0
3

6
5
1

10 5
12 5
-2 0

4
6
-2

1
0
19 7
23 10
-4 -3

1
1
12
12
0

1
2
9
7
2

1
3
10
11
-1

1
4
20
24
-4

We wish to test the claim that there is no difference

between the two creams at the 5% significance level.

Homework page 344: 67, 68, 69, 72, 73, 76, 77

1
5
12
10
2