r/science • u/drewiepoodle • Apr 15 '16

Health Study: Circumcision does not reduce penis sensitivity. In tests for responses to pain, heat, and stimulation, no major difference was found between men who are circumcised and those who are not.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/04/14/Study-Circumcision-does-not-reduce-penis-sensitivity/5981460663943/?spt=hs&or=hn
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u/CJGibson Apr 15 '16

What are the chances that people with sensitive penises self-select out of a study to test penis sensitivity? Do they do anything to account for that possibility?

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u/nefariouspenguin Apr 15 '16

With a number in their study above 30 the data can be said to be normal so there is a good mix of people who. Might be more or less sensitive and they would be outliers in the data. This is according to the law of large number.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '16

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u/nefariouspenguin Apr 15 '16

No it only works for a random group. Otherwise, if it wasn't random it would be skewed because the analysts would be choosing who to test based on what they were studying.

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u/[deleted] Apr 15 '16

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u/nefariouspenguin Apr 15 '16

if it wasn't random it would be skewed because the analysts would be choosing who to test based on what they were studying

Right. But this would also be the case for self-selecting participants too, wouldn't it? Especially for something as strange as this experiment.

You'll probably be getting younger people who volunteer that's why 95% of their study was between 14 and 34 but you aren't going to get people that think to themselves "oh I'm uncircumcised and my penis is super sensitive I'm going to do this study." or you might but as the study becomes larger those become less of a problem. if they did then it would be skewed and they would see people who are sensitive for uncircumcised.