4.New Scientist reported a study in which psychiatrist Donald Black used the drug fluvoxamine to treat compulsive shoppers.In Black's study, patients take the drug for eight weeks, and the effect on their shopping urges is monitored. Then the patients are taken off the drug and watched for another month. In the seven patients examined so far, the results are clear and dramatic, says Black: the urge to shop and the time spent shopping decrease markedly. When the patient stops taking the drug, however, the symptoms slowly return. 1.Explain why it would have been preferable to have a double-blind study, in which shoppers were randomly assigned to take fluvoxamine or a placebo.

a)The Hawthorne effect, or the power of suggestion, could be responsible for the change in behavior. Being given the drug by a psychiatrist may have lead patients to the expected results.

b)The variable "admitting one's self as a compulsive shopper" could be interacting with the response variable in this study. The patients who become aware of their impulses often attempt to correct them initially, but with no lasting long-term success.

c)Confounding variables, such as the changes in a patient's daily routine to take the drug, could be responsible for the change in behavior. Having patients take a drug daily reduces their free time, and leads to less time spent shopping.

2.State the null hypothesis for this research.

a)The drug fluvoxamine reduces the urge to shop in compulsive shoppers.

b)The effect of fluvoxamine persist for a month after treatment.

c)The effects of fluvoxamine persist for a week after treatment.

d)The drug fluvoxamine has no impact on compulsive shopping.

e)The drug fluvoxamine increases the urge to shop in compulsive shoppers. 3.State the alternative hypothesis for this research.

a)The drug fluvoxamine reduces the urge to shop in compulsive shoppers.

b)The effect of fluvoxamine persist for a month after treatment.

c)The effects of fluvoxamine persist for a week after treatment.

d)The drug fluvoxamine has no impact on compulsive shopping.

e)The drug fluvoxamine increases the urge to shop in compulsive shoppers.