Question

What is the goal of a matched pair design?

Answer 1

Hint: We explain this matched pair design using the example in our daily life. In order to use the example we need to know the use of matched pair design.
The matched pair design is used to avoid the accidental bias that might occur when we need to take completely random selection in the population. By using this use of matched pair design we take one life example that we come across and try to relate the use to get the understanding of matched pair design.

Complete step by step solution:
We are asked to find the goal of matched pair design.
Here, we can see that if we can explain the use of matched pair design in one daily life example we can conclude that the use of matched pair design in any other situation.
Let us take the example of a recent incident that is the spread of coronavirus.
We know that we need to stop it using the vaccine. But we also know that we cannot directly use it without tests on humans.
Suppose there is a group of 10,000 people to whom we can test the vaccine. But due to some reasons we can test only 100 people for a vaccine. Let us assume that there are two vaccines $A$ and $B$.
Here, we can see that we need to select 100 to test for vaccine $A$ and other 100 for vaccine $B$
We know that the main reason for this is to know which is the better vaccine among two vaccines.
Here, we might get the most difficulty due to this random selection that the selected people may have different age, gender, race, community, lifestyle etc.
We might have the problem that due to these differences in people the vaccine $A$ might have better results for some people and vaccine $B$ might have better results for some other people.
Here, we cannot decide which is better. So, in order to avoid this bias we use the matched pair design.
We know that if we can give both vaccines to the same person we can decide the better one. But that cannot be possible. But in some way we can select two people of almost the same lifestyle, age, etc.
If we give two vaccines to these two different people of the same characteristics we can decide the better vaccine.
So, we can say that the process of dividing the people into the same characteristics in order to know that better results between two products of the same purpose is called the matched pair design.
Therefore, we can conclude that the goal of matched pair design is to get to know the better product among two products that are used for the same purpose.

Note:
We need to note that this matched pair design is not only used among people but can also be used in other objects also.
But whatever we use the object or people that we test a product, the product used for two objects or people should have the same purpose either to develop or eliminate. Also the pair we select should have almost similar characteristics because we cannot find the exact same people unless they are twins.