Skills for Study Level 2 Teacher's Book - Cambridge University Press

4bAnswersDate Test subjects Effects of VenaloneSource Age Gender PhysicalconditionNewspaperreportResearcharticleAfter 24hoursn/g n/g n/g ‘Cure’ 80%of subjects– nosymptoms18–26 Male Healthy Eightsubjects‘feel lesspain’ /‘improvedwell-being’After 48hoursn/gEightsubjects‘feel lesspain’ /‘improvedwellbeing’After 5 daysor moren/gMostsymptomshavedisappearedcompletely /Two otherrespondentssuffer forone moreweek4c Students compare their answers.4dAnswers1 The newspaper seems to suggest that the medicine is very effective: it claimsin the title and the passage that it ‘cures’ colds in 24 hours; participants in thetrial are said to have rid themselves of most major symptoms more quicklythan with other treatments.2 80% of test subjects have no symptoms after 24 hours.3 No. 80% of the test subjects reported feeling less pain and an improvedcondition (but not complete cure) after 24–48 hours.4 The researcher tentatively claims a slight positive effect on cold symptoms,but not a complete cure. Also, the research article observes that mostcolds clear up naturally within 7–10 days, so as it took 5 days for most ofthe respondents to get over the cold, and another week for two others, theimpact of the medicine is questionable. Even at this stage, students should beable to see the discrepancy between an 80% success rate and the categoricalclaim ‘cures colds within 24 hours’, which would seem to imply that it doesthis in all cases.5 A number of limitations are apparent, including: small sample size; restrictedsample type (male and a restricted age-group); all healthy; controlledexperiment; based in part on self-report of condition (rating their own senseof well-being).4eAnswers• Is this written by the person who did the research, or is it a second-handreport?• If it is second hand, does it match the original report?• Are there any discrepancies between what the results show and what isclaimed?• Are there any weaknesses in the original research which might undermine thecertainty of any claims?Unit 3 Part B ∙ Understanding written information 84