Problem: In a study designed to test the effectiveness of a new drug used to treat depression, 362 adults participated in a treatment group, while 272 participated in a placebo group. The mean numbers of days per month the treatment group experienced instances of depression were 5.2 with a standard deviation of 2.1. For the placebo group, the mean number of days was 6.4 with a standard deviation of 1.9.
Required:
Question 1: Construct a 95% confidence interval for the mean number of days of peak severity of symptoms for those in the treatment group.
Question 2: Construct a 95% confidence interval for the mean number of days of peak severity of the symptoms for those who are given a placebo.
Question 3: How do the two confidence intervals compare? What do the results suggest about the effectiveness of this new drug?