Based on the study you designed in the Research Design discussion, apply the scientific method by specifying the five steps of hypothesis testing for your study.

•Step 1: State the hypothesis.
•Step 2: Collect the data – For the purpose of this discussion, you will state how you would collect the data.
•Step 3: Calculate statistics – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate the statistical analysis technique(s) you would use.
•Step 4: Compare to a critical value – For the purpose of this discussion, you will indicate where you would set the alpha value and why. Note: This step is hypothetical, as you are not actually conducting a statistical analysis. Consequently, you will choose if the results of your hypothetical analysis are above or below the critical value.
•Step 5: Make a decision – For the purpose of this discussion, you will create a conclusion based on the hypothetical results from Step 4. Be sure to include a recommendation on the effectiveness of the new drug based on the results.

Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Utilize a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources that were published within the last 10 years and are documented in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Research Design for Testing a New Drug in the Treatment of Schizophrenia
? Comparison and Contrast of Non-experimental and Experimental Designs
? Experimental-Treats, then observes to note the changes, especially in cause and effect relationship
? Two groups may be assigned at random with a view to compare the control and the experimental group.
? Has allowance for control of dependent variable
? In single studies, they provide high level-evidence
? On the other hand, non-experimental designs, the research has no ability to control the variables.
? In descriptive research (non-experimental), inferences come from data analysis (Belt, Motonen, & Harkone, 2011)
? As opposed to an experimental design, the results from a descriptive research cannot be used to disprove a hypothesis or to draw a definitive answer.
? Correlational design (non-experimental) also examines a relation between two variables that cannot be manipulated. They communicate whether an association exists between two variables or not (Knight, 2010).
? In essence, while experimental researchers control their predictor variables, non-experimental researchers observe and interpret without manipulating.
? Certainty is only in experimental research since the researcher can manipulate the variables.
Design for the testing the drug
? In order for the company to be sure whether the new drug is more effective than the previous one, they need to carry out comprehensive, certain research. Therefore, the aim of the research would be to ‘explain.’
? Aim: ‘To explain whether drug A (new) is more effective than drug B (previous).
Choice of the Design and Overview
? Considering the nature of the research, I would choose an experimental design. The rationale behind the choice is that, in order to be certain about the effectiveness of the new drug, as compared to the previous drug. According to Knight (2010), an experimental design enables the researcher to distinguish placebo with treatment effects. In this case, the research will test drug A (new) as the experimental group, and drug B, as a control experiment.
References
? Belt, P., Motonen, M., & Harkonen, J. (2011). Tips for writing scientific journal articles. Industrial Engineering and Management, 5, 1-20
? Knight, K.L. (2010). Study/Experimental/ Research design: Much more than statistics. Journal of Athletic Training, 45(1), 98-100.