Balanced Incomplete Block Design

In this design, situations arise when we are unable to run all treatment combinations
in each block; possibly due to shortages of experimental apparatus or facilities or the
physical size of the blocks. For this type of problem, it is still possible to use
randomized block design in which every treatment is not present in every block.
These designs are known as randomized incomplete block designs.
When all treatments are equally important, then we should ensure that the treatment
combinations used in each block are selected in a balanced manner. A BIBD is an
incomplete block design in which any two treatments appear together an equal
number of times.
Note: The precision of an estimate of a treatment effect depends on the number of
replications of the treatment --- if larger is the number of replications, the more is the
precision. Similar is the case for the precision estimate of the difference between two
treatment effects. If a pair of treatment occurs together more number of times in the
design, the difference between these two treatment effects can be estimated more
precisely. To ensure equal or nearly equal precision of comparisons of different pairs
of treatment effects, the treatments are so allocated to the experimental units in
different blocks of equal sizes such that each treatment occurs at most once in a block
and it has an equal number of replications, and that each pair of treatments has the
same (or nearly the same) number of replications.
Thus a BIBD is an arrangement of a treatments in b blocks each of size k such
that:
i. Each treatment occurs at most once in a block
ii. Each treatment occurs in exactly r blocks
iii.
Each pair of treatments occurs together in exactly blocks
Suppose there are in general, a treatments that are to be compared and b block.
In addition, we assume that each block contains k treatments, that each treatment
occurs r times in the design (or is replicated r times).
The total number of observations is N ar bk
The number of times each pair of treatments appear together in the same block is

r k 1
a 1

Randomization procedure
i. Allot the treatments symbol at random
ii. Allot the groups of k treatments to the b blocks at random
iv. Randomize the positions of the treatment numbers within each block.
The statistical model for BIBD:
y ij i j ij

where is the overall mean, is the -th block effect, represents the -th treatment
effect, and error term denoted by , usually NID 0, 2 .
The total SS may be partitioned as:
SS TOTAL SS Treat ( adj ) SS Block SS E

where the SS for treatments is adjusted to separate from the block effects. This is
necessary because each treatment is represented in a different set of r blocks.
The block SS is:
y2
1 b
SS block y .2j ..
k j 1
N
The adjusted treatment SS:
a

SS treat ( adj )

k Qi2
i 1

where

Qi yi .
and

1 b
nij y . j
k j 1

nij 1 , if treatment

i appears in block j ; and zero otherwise.

The adjusted treatment totals, Qi , will always sum to zero.

i 1

The ANOVA is summarized as follows:

ANOVA for BIBD
Source of Sum of squares
variabilit
y
a
Between
k Qi2
treatment
SS treat ( adj ) i 1
s (adj)
Between
Blocks
Error
(within
treatment
s)

a 1

MS treat ( adj )

F0

SS treat ( adj )
a 1

F0

MS treat ( adj )
MS E

SS block
SS E

y2 b 1
1
2
y . j ..
k j 1
N
N a b 1
b

Total

Degrees of Mean squares

freedom

SS total

i 1 j 1

yij2

MS block
MS E

SS block
b 1

SS E
N a b 1

y ..2 N 1

Example: refer to Example 4.5, pp150

Others:
If the factor under study is fixed, then tests on individual treatment means may be of
interest.
Orthogonal contrasts:

contrasts made on adjusted treatment totals Qi , not on

y i

k ci Qi

contrast SS is SS C i 1
a
a ci2
i 1

multiple comparisons of treatment effects:

kQ
i i
a

Standard error of an adjusted treatment effect is S

k MS E
a

To assess the block effects, you need to partition the SS total into the following:
SS TOTAL SS Treat SS Block ( adj ) SS E

Here, the treatment SS is:

1 a 2 y2
SStreatment yi
r j1 N
The adjusted block SS:

SS block ( adj ) ??

where
and

Q j ??

nij 1 , if treatment

i appears in block j ; and zero otherwise.

The adjusted treatment totals, Q j , will always sum to zero.

j 1

NOTE: SSTOTAL SSTreat ( adj ) SS Block ( adj ) SS E

--- as a consequence of non orthogonality of treatments and blocks.