Reference no: EM133916617

Question

Read the scenario below, answer the questions that follow and please give reasons for your answers. Brusser and Janosy wanted to test the effectiveness of a new relaxation/biofeedback intervention on menopausal symptoms. They invited women who presented themselves in an outpatient clinic with complaints of severe hot flashes to participate in the study of the experimental treatment. These 50 women were asked to record, every day for 3 weeks before the intervention, the frequency and duration of their hot flashes. The intervention itself involved five 1-hour sessions over a period of 1 week. Then, for the 3 weeks after the treatment, the women were asked to record their hot flashes again every day. At the end of the study, Brusser and Janosy found that both the frequency and average duration of the hot flashes had been significantly reduced in this sample of 50 women. They concluded that their intervention was an effective therapy in treating menopausal hot flashes.

1. Was there random assignment in this study?

2. Is the design experimental, quasi-experimental, or nonexperimental?

3. Discuss ways in which this study achieved or failed to achieve the criteria for making causal inferences.