This study examines whether eating oat bran reduces cholesterol levels. It involves 100 American males aged 30-70, split into groups of 50 with high cholesterol and 50 with healthy levels. The men are randomly assigned to eat either meals with 3 servings of oat bran per day or meals with 0 servings for two weeks. Their cholesterol is measured after two weeks and two months later after switching diets. The study uses blocking by separating the groups and blinding by not informing subjects about the oat bran to reduce bias in results. A concern is other lifestyle factors may affect cholesterol without the researchers' knowledge.

1. Does Eating Oat Bran
Reduce Cholesterol?
By: Will Tompkins and Dylan McFerran

2. Subjects/Experimental Units
100 American males age 30-70

3. Explanatory Variable(Factor)
The explanatory variable (factor) in this
experiment would be oat bran and if it is
included into a subject’s diet.

4. Treatments
0 servings of oat bran per day
3 servings of oat bran per day

5. Response Variable
Cholesterol level

6. Design
100 people
(50 have high
cholesterol
and 50 have a
healthy
amount)
people who
have high
cholesterol
people who
have a healthy
amount of
cholesterol
RA
RA
Compare
Results
Compare
Results
meal w/ oat bran-meal
w/o oat bran
meal w/o oat bran-meal
w/ oat bran
meal w/ oat bran-meal
w/o oat bran
meal w/o oat bran-meal
w/ oat bran
Meals are provided three times a day and are based off of old eating habits of each experimental unit. Random
assignment is done by numbering the subjects with high cholesterol form 1-50 and writing that number onto slips of
paper and put into a hat. The hat is then shaken up, and the first 25 numbers pulled will eat meals with oat bran
first and meals w/o oat bran second. Repeat the process for those with healthy cholesterol. The experimental units
who are assigned oat bran first, get oat bran included into their meals w/o them knowing. Then, two weeks later
they will stop eating these meals and their cholesterol levels are recorded. Two months after the units stop eating
the provided meals, the subjects will eat the opposite meal plan (with-without, without-with)

7. How experimental design principles apply in this study.
The control in the experiment is the data
recorded from each person when they are not
eating oat bran in their diet. Randomization is
included in the experiment by randomly
assigning people to meal plans. The
experiment is replicated by testing many
people to increase validity.

8. Are blocking and blinding used?
Blocking is used in this experiment by the separation of
subjects with high cholesterol and the units with a
healthy level of cholesterol. This is because the diet
might not affect the subjects who have a healthy level of
cholesterol. Blinding is also used in the experiment by not
informing the subjects about whether or not they are
eating oat bran. Blinding is used due to the fact that a
subject’s cholesterol could possibly be lowered simply by
the belief that oat bran is included in their diet.

9. Design concerns
The cholesterol of healthy subjects will not be
affected.
Some patients might do other activities (take
pills, exercise) without our consent that will
lower their cholesterol
People do not eat the meals that are provided