Refer to the summary of News Story 9 in the Appendix. The story appeared in the Washington Post on May 7, 2002. You may be able to find it through an internet search of the story’s headline, “Against depression, a sugar pill is hard to beat.” There is a meta- analysis of “96 antidepressant trials” described in the story and the summary in the Appendix. Use that description to answer these questions.
a. How did the analyst answer the question “Which studies should be included?
b. How did the analyst answer the question “Should results be compared or combined?”
c. One statement in the story is “in 52 percent of them [the studies], the effect of the antidepressant could not be distinguished from that of the placebo.” Do you think this statement is an example of “vote- counting”? What additional information would you need to determine whether or not it is?
d. Refer to part (c). Assuming the statement is an example of vote-counting, should it be used to conclude that the effects of antidepressants and placebos are the same? Explain.