Endocrine Control of the Male Reproductive System (Ex. 25)

Procedure:

The purpose of today's lab is to learn how to perform and interpret statistical analysis on a set of data that will be supplied. Two group members will be paired to do this experiment. You should split the duties so that each does a fair amount of work. Each student should do the analysis for one of the data sets (each group will receive a data set for body weight and seminal vessicle weight). The discussion should be written together and the results of the two groups should be explained as a whole, not as completely exclusive groups.

The format of the report should be as follows:

1. Turn in the raw data table that you were given.

2. Normalize the data sets and put in table format.

3. Calculate the mean (X) for each treatment group.

4. Calculate the variance (S²) for each treatment group.

5. Calculate the standard error (SE) for each treatment group, and report as the mean the standard error ("X" "SE").

6. Calculate the pooled variance.

7. Calculate the student's t-test values for control vs. testosterone, control vs. placebo, and testosterone vs. placebo. These values will be called t calcualted.

8. Look up the t critical value in the t-table on page 223 in the lab manual for alpha level 0.05 (90% confidence interval). Compare t calculated to t critical to determine if the treatment groups differ significantly.

9. Discussion should include what you found and reasons for that outcome. What was the expected result? What are the effects of testosterone on body weight and seminal vessicle weight? Are the results you got the same as expected? Explain reasons why or why not? Discussion can be over a page, but not longer than two pages.

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