Question 1

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to selection bias?

Accepted Answer

C) is most likely to be subject to selection bias because the sample (National Rifle Association members) is not representative of the general public's opinion on gun control laws.

Question 2

Suppose that a study is released stating that the fewer books people read, the more velvet paintings they tend to own. This is best described as an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a negative correlation because as the number of books read decreases, the number of velvet paintings owned increases, indicating an inverse relationship between the two variables.

Question 3

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to selection bias?

Accepted Answer

The study in option D is likely subject to selection bias because it only includes people who have been issued speeding tickets, who may have a vested interest in wanting higher speed limits, thus not representing the general population's opinion.

Question 4

Selection bias can distort the results of research studies.

Accepted Answer

Selection bias occurs when the participants selected for a study are not representative of the target population, leading to results that cannot be generalized accurately.

Question 5

Survivor bias

Accepted Answer

Survivor bias is a form of selection bias that occurs when a study or analysis only considers "surviving" or existing examples, ignoring those that have failed or disappeared, leading to potentially skewed or misleading results. It is not limited to studies involving age differences and can significantly impact economic research, among other fields.

Question 6

In a research project, when the sample used is not random, selection bias occurs.

Accepted Answer

Selection bias occurs when the sample used in a research project is not random, meaning that not all members of the population had an equal chance of being included, potentially skewing the results.

Question 7

Refer to the information provided in Scenario 22.2 below to answer the question(s) that follow.
SCENARIO 22.2: A survey of 1,000 people in Austin, Texas (population 900,000) found that those who have chosen to eat organic produce for at least the past 5 years have experienced fewer serious medical issues than those who have not elected to eat organic produce. Therefore, the conclusion was made that eating organic produce helps prevent people from experiencing serious medical problems.
-Refer to Scenario 22.1. Which of the following statements pertaining to the scenario is the most accurate with respect to selection bias?

Accepted Answer

The conclusion may be influenced by selection bias because it overlooks other factors (like exercise habits) that could contribute to fewer serious medical problems among those who eat organic produce, rather than the organic produce being the sole reason.

Question 8

Two variables are said to be positively correlated if their values

Accepted Answer

Two variables are positively correlated if they tend to move in the same direction, meaning when one variable increases, the other tends to increase as well, and vice versa.

Question 9

People who are fans of NASCAR tend to eat less organic produce than people who are not NASCAR fans. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of correlation because it describes a relationship between two variables (being a fan of NASCAR and eating less organic produce) without implying that one causes the other.

Question 10

Survivor bias occurs when data used in a study reflects too broad a sample of the population.

Accepted Answer

Survivor bias occurs when a study only considers the "survivors" or those who made it past a certain selection process, ignoring those who did not, which can lead to skewed or misleading results.

Question 11

When conducting a study on success rates, which of the following would most likely be subject to survivor bias?

Accepted Answer

Of the 75 oil exploration firms based in North Dakota, over half of those that recently filed for bankruptcy have been in business for 5 years or less.Survivor bias is the logical error of concentrating on the people or things that made it past some selection process and overlooking those that did not, typically because of their lack of visibility. In this case, the study is on success rates, and the selection process is filing for bankruptcy. The firms that have filed for bankruptcy are the ones that have not survived, so they are not included in the study. This means that the study is biased towards the firms that have survived, and the results may not be representative of the overall population of oil exploration firms.

Question 12

When collecting data to conduct research, if the sample used includes only observations which have remained in the sample over time, making that sample unrepresentative of the broader population, ________ occurs.

Accepted Answer

Survivor bias occurs when a sample only includes observations that have "survived" or remained over time, leading to an unrepresentative sample of the broader population. This can skew results and conclusions because it does not account for those elements that did not persist.

Question 13

People who drive fuel-efficient vehicles tend to recycle more often than people who drive gas guzzlers. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of correlation because it describes a relationship between two variables (driving fuel-efficient vehicles and recycling habits) without implying that one causes the other.

Question 14

When collecting data to conduct research, if the sample used is not random, ________ occurs.

Accepted Answer

Selection bias occurs when the sample used for research is not random, meaning the results may not be representative of the entire population.

Question 15

Refer to the information provided in Scenario 22.1 below to answer the question(s) that follow.
SCENARIO 22.1: A study of 2,500 country club members in Phoenix found that those who play golf at least 2 times per week were 40 percent more likely to have suffered from skin cancer than those who never play golf. Therefore, the study concluded that in Phoenix, playing golf at least twice a week leads to a higher incidence of skin cancer in country club members.
-Refer to Scenario 22.1. Which of the following statements pertaining to the scenario is the most accurate with respect to selection bias?

Accepted Answer

The conclusion exhibits selection bias in that there may be other factors besides playing golf more than 2 times per week that lead to a higher incidence of skin cancer in those members.

Question 16

Selection bias is unique to the field of economic research.

Accepted Answer

Selection bias is a potential issue in various fields of research, including economics, psychology, medicine, and social sciences, whenever the selection of participants or data points is not properly randomized.

Question 17

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to survivor bias?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following examples would most...

Question 18

Two variables are said to be negatively correlated if their values

Accepted Answer

Negatively correlated variables tend to move in opposite directions, meaning that as one variable increases, the other tends to decrease, and vice versa.

Question 19

Suppose that a study is released stating that the fewer speeding tickets a person is issued, the less gasoline they tend to purchase. This is best described as an example of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Suppose that a study is released stating...

Question 20

Selection bias can result from data samples

Accepted Answer

Selection bias can occur in any situation where the method of data collection, the sample frame, or the sample itself is not representative of the population from which it is drawn. This can happen when samples are not random (A), when comparing groups engaged in different activities (B), or from differences in choices among participants (C). All these scenarios can lead to a biased sample that does not accurately reflect the population, thus affecting the validity of the study's conclusions.

Quiz 22: Critical Thinking About Research

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to selection bias?

Suppose that a study is released stating that the fewer books people read, the more velvet paintings they tend to own. This is best described as an example of

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to selection bias?

Selection bias can distort the results of research studies.

Survivor bias

In a research project, when the sample used is not random, selection bias occurs.

Two variables are said to be positively correlated if their values

People who are fans of NASCAR tend to eat less organic produce than people who are not NASCAR fans. This is an example of

Survivor bias occurs when data used in a study reflects too broad a sample of the population.

When conducting a study on success rates, which of the following would most likely be subject to survivor bias?

When collecting data to conduct research, if the sample used includes only observations which have remained in the sample over time, making that sample unrepresentative of the broader population, ________ occurs.

People who drive fuel-efficient vehicles tend to recycle more often than people who drive gas guzzlers. This is an example of

When collecting data to conduct research, if the sample used is not random, ________ occurs.

Selection bias is unique to the field of economic research.

Which of the following examples would most likely be subject to survivor bias?

Two variables are said to be negatively correlated if their values

Suppose that a study is released stating that the fewer speeding tickets a person is issued, the less gasoline they tend to purchase. This is best described as an example of

Selection bias can result from data samples