DSRT 734: Choosing a Test for Disease Prevalence by Gender

DSRT 734 Question

Question 1
20 Points

A researcher wanted to investigate if a certain disease was significantly
more prevalent in males vs. females. They took a random sample of
patients who had been tested for the disease and created the following
table split by gender. What is the appropriate test to run?


                    Male        Female

Disease Yes         12          16

Disease No          4           8


Option A

One-way ANOVA


Option B

Fisher's Exact Test


Option C

Paired t-test


Option D

Pearson's Chi-Square

What this question assesses

This item assesses method selection for two categorical variables summarized in a small contingency table. The key distinction is between quantitative-mean procedures and categorical association procedures, followed by an expected-count check.

How to approach this type of question

Classify both variables before looking at test names. Gender is represented as categories and disease status is represented as Yes or No, so the evidence is a table of counts rather than a set of quantitative means. Identify the table dimensions and calculate or inspect expected counts under independence. Expected counts depend on row totals, column totals, and the grand total; observed cell counts alone are not the complete decision rule. Then compare the assumptions of the available categorical methods, including how a small or sparse table affects the choice between an asymptotic procedure and an exact procedure. Also check that observations are independent and that each patient contributes to only one cell. Use that audit to evaluate the options. This guidance intentionally does not select a method for the displayed counts.

To make the method decision auditable, write the four marginal totals and expected-count formula on scratch paper. Check whether the sample design gives independent people and whether any patient can be counted more than once. If an exact method is considered, distinguish its rationale from a blanket rule based solely on a small grand total. The final selection should follow the course’s documented threshold for sparse cells, not whichever procedure would yield a preferred result.

Related DSRT 734 questions

• DSRT 734: Testing Gender and COVID Diagnosis in JASP
• DSRT 734: Choosing a Test for Gender and Disease
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Related DSRT 734 resources

• University of the Cumberlands course resources
• DSRT 734 Inferential Statistics in Decision-Making
• DSRT 734 Questions: Inferential Statistics in Decision-Making
• How to Choose an Inferential Statistical Test