Design and Analysis of Observational and Sampling Studies

Catalog description

Like controlled experiments, observational studies seek to establish cause-effect relationships, but unlike controlled experiments, they lack the ability to assign treatments to observational units. Sampling studies, such as sample surveys, seek to characterize aspects of populations by obtaining and analyzing samples from those populations. Topics from observational studies include: prospective and retrospective studies; overt and hidden bias; adjustments by stratification and matching. Topics from sampling studies include: simple random sampling and associated estimates for means, totals, and proportions; estimates for subpopulations; unequal probability sampling; ratio and regression estimation; stratified, cluster, systematic, multistage, double sampling designs, and, time permitting, topics such as model-based sampling, spatial and adaptive sampling. (Prerequisite: knowledge of basic probability and statistics, at the level of MA 511 is assumed.)