Optimal Incomplete Block Designs for Comparing Treatments with a Control

Abstract : The problem of finding optimal incomplete block designs for comparing p test treatments with a control is studied. BIB designs are found to be D-optimal. A- and E-optimal designs are also obtained. For a large class of functions phi, conditions for a design to be phi-optimal are found. Most of the optimal designs are certain types of BTIB designs (introduced by Bechhofer and Tamhane (1981)) which are binary in test treatments.