Analysis of methods commonly used in biomedicine for treatment versus control comparison of very small samples

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
Jasna L Ristić-DjurovićAlexander M Trbovich

Abstract

A rough estimate indicated that use of samples of size not larger than ten is not uncommon in biomedical research and that many of such studies are limited to strong effects due to sample sizes smaller than six. For data collected from biomedical experiments it is also often unknown if mathematical requirements incorporated in the sample comparison methods are satisfied. Computer simulated experiments were used to examine performance of methods for qualitative sample comparison and its dependence on the effectiveness of exposure, effect intensity, distribution of studied parameter values in the population, and sample size. The Type I and Type II errors, their average, as well as the maximal errors were considered. The sample size 9 and the t-test method with p = 5% ensured error smaller than 5% even for weak effects. For sample sizes 6-8 the same method enabled detection of weak effects with errors smaller than 20%. If the sample sizes were 3-5, weak effects could not be detected with an acceptable error; however, the smallest maximal error in the most general case that includes weak effects is granted by the standard error of the mean method. The increase of sample size from 5 to 9 led to seven times more accurate detection of...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 14, 2018·Frontiers in Physiology·Tricia AdjeiDanilo P Mandic
May 28, 2019·Frontiers in Physiology·Tricia AdjeiDanilo P Mandic

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