This study provides a method for the examination of research efficiency in terms of costs to the subjects, and information gain for the researcher. The basic problem of maximizing the differentiations among subjects on a dependent variable is equivalent to the problem of maximizing information gain for a given cost in behavioral science research procedures. The distribution resulting from this maximization process, under certain circumstances, also minimizes two cost quantities of interest in such procedures, the average cost per subject and the average cost per unit information. Two data sets are examined in order to illustrate the use of this criterion of research efficiency.
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