Properties of a Rank Test of Cronholm and Revusky

Abstract

Cronholm and Revusky [4] have proposed a rank test based on independent subexperiments for the comparison of a treatment effect with a control when the treatment is destructive but the control produces at most a transient effect. This article provides a thorough study of its performance under two sampling situations. With the aid of a computer, the exact small sample power of the test is evaluated for some important alternatives. A modification of the test is proposed for the situation where numerical measurements are available rather than merely the ranks within each stage. The modification is found to substantially improve the power. Both tests are shown to be unbiased. Finally, the Pitman asymptotic efficiencies are obtained and comparisons are made with the appropriate Wilcoxon tests.