February, 2003
© 2000 Scott S. Emerson, M.D., Ph.D.
Session 4: 17
Adjustment for Stopping Rules
Stopping rule greatly affects sampling distribution for estimates of treatment effect
Data which lead to normally distributed sampling distributions under fixed sample testing lead to skewed, multimodal densities with jump discontinuities under sequential testing
Treatment effect is no longer a shift parameter
Exact shape of sampling distribution therefore depends upon stopping rule and alternative