Explain the principles of experimental design as enumerated by professor Fisher ?
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Apr 16
Professor Fisher, a renowned statistician, outlined several key principles of experimental design that are essential for conducting valid and reliable experiments. These principles include:
1. Randomization: Random assignment of subjects or treatments helps to minimize bias and ensure that the results of the experiment are not influenced by any external factors. This helps to ensure that any observed differences between groups are due to the treatment being studied and not to other variables.
2. Replication: Replicating the experiment multiple times helps to ensure that the results are consistent and reliable. By conducting multiple trials, researchers can assess the variability in the results and determine the statistical significance of any observed effects.
3. Control: Control groups are essential for comparing the effects of the treatment being studied to a baseline or placebo condition. By controlling for other variables that could influence the results, researchers can more confidently attribute any observed effects to the treatment itself.
4. Blocking: Blocking involves grouping subjects or treatments based on certain characteristics that may influence the outcome of the experiment. By blocking for these factors, researchers can reduce variability and increase the precision of their estimates.
5. Randomization of blocks: Randomizing the assignment of subjects or treatments within blocks helps to further reduce bias and ensure that the results are not influenced by any systematic differences between groups.
By following these principles of experimental design, researchers can conduct experiments that are more likely to yield valid and reliable results. These principles help to minimize bias, control for confounding variables, and increase the precision of estimates, ultimately leading to more robust and trustworthy conclusions.