Question 1

Sampling error becomes an ethical issue if the findings are purposely presented
without reference to sample size and margin of error so that the sponsor can promote a viewpoint
that might otherwise be truly insignificant.

Accepted Answer

Sampling error is a common issue in research, but it becomes unethical when the researchers purposely present findings without acknowledging the sample size and margin of error. This can lead to a promotion of a viewpoint that may not be truly significant, which can mislead the public and impact decision-making. Hence, it is considered unethical to ignore the sampling error in research.

Question 2

The question: "Have you used any form of illicit drugs over the past 2 months?"
will most likely result in measurement error if the question is answered.

Accepted Answer

This question is likely to result in measurement error because it relies on self-reporting, and individuals may be hesitant to admit to using illegal drugs due to fear of consequences or social stigma. This could lead to underreporting of drug use and therefore an inaccurate measurement of drug use within the population.

Question 3

You stand at the main entrance to a departmental store and pick the first 20
customers that enter the store after it has opened its door for business on a single day. This is an
example of a systematic sample.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a convenience sample because the selection of the first 20 customers is based on ease of access and timing, rather than a systematic method of selecting every nth customer.

Question 4

Measurement error will become an ethical issue when the findings are presented
without reference to sample size and margin of error.

Accepted Answer

Measurement error can become an ethical issue for various reasons, such as misrepresenting data or misleading the public. However, the lack of reference to sample size and margin of error would not necessarily be an ethical issue in itself, but rather a methodological or statistical issue. It is important to report sample size and margin of error to accurately interpret the findings, but the absence of such information does not necessarily imply an ethical concern.

Question 5

Selection bias occurs more frequently in systematic samples than in simple
random samples.

Accepted Answer

Systematic samples involve selecting every nth participant from a population, which can lead to a biased sample if there is a pattern or trend in the population. In contrast, simple random samples ensure that every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected, reducing the risk of selection bias.

Question 6

SCENARIO 1-3
The manager of the customer service division of a major consumer electronics company is interested
in determining whether the customers who have purchased a Blu-ray player made by the company
over the past 12 months are satisfied with their products.
-Referring to Scenario 1-3, if there are 4 different brands of Blu-ray players made by the company, the best sampling strategy would be to use a
A) a simple random sample.
B) a stratified sample.
C) a cluster sample.
D) a systematic sample.

Accepted Answer

A stratified sample would be the best choice as it allows for the division of the population of customers into subgroups based on the brand of Blu-ray player purchased. This ensures that each brand is represented in the sample, providing a more accurate representation of the overall satisfaction levels of customers for each brand.

Question 7

The only way one can eliminate sampling error is to take the whole population
as the sample.

Accepted Answer

Sampling error refers to the difference between the sample and the population. By taking the whole population as the sample, there is no difference between the sample and the population, thereby eliminating sampling error. However, it may not always be feasible or practical to take the whole population as the sample.

Question 8

SCENARIO 1-3
The manager of the customer service division of a major consumer electronics company is interested
in determining whether the customers who have purchased a Blu-ray player made by the company
over the past 12 months are satisfied with their products.
-Referring to Scenario 1-3, the manager decides to ask a sample of customers, who have bought a Blu-ray player made by the company and filed a complaint over the past year, to fill in a survey
About whether they are satisfied with the product. This method will most likely suffer from
A) nonresponse error.
B) measurement error.
C) coverage error.
D) non-probability sampling.

Accepted Answer

The method will likely suffer from coverage error because it only includes customers who have filed a complaint, which does not represent the entire population of Blu-ray player purchasers.

Question 9

Coverage error can become an ethical issue if a particular group is intentionally
excluded from the frame.

Accepted Answer

Intentionally excluding a particular group from coverage can be seen as unethical as it can perpetuate biases and inequalities. It is important for media professionals to strive for fair and inclusive coverage that represents all groups within society.

Question 10

Measurement error can become an ethical issue when a survey sponsor chooses
leading questions that guide the responses in a particular direction.

Accepted Answer

When survey sponsors choose leading questions, they may intentionally or unintentionally influence the responses of the participants, which can lead to biased or inaccurate results. This can be an ethical issue if the sponsor is using the survey to promote a particular agenda or to misrepresent the views of the participants.

Question 11

Measurement error can become an ethical issue when an interviewer purposely
guides the responses in a particular direction.

Accepted Answer

When an interviewer purposely guides the responses in a particular direction, it is considered as a form of manipulation and can lead to inaccurate data, which is an ethical issue in research.

Question 12

To gather opinions on the efficacy of U.S. foreign policies, a sample of 50
faculty members is selected from the pool of university professors who have taught political
science at the graduate level. This is an example of a judgment sample.

Accepted Answer

A judgment sample is a type of non-probability sampling where the researcher selects participants based on their judgment or expertise in the area being studied. In this case, the sample of faculty members who have taught political science at the graduate level would be considered experts in the field and thus a judgment sample.

Question 13

The question "Is your household income last year somewhere between $50,000
and $100,000?" will most likely result in coverage error.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The question "Is your household income last...

Question 14

The professor of a business statistics class wanted to find out the mean amount of
time per week her students spent studying for the class. She divided the fifty students on her
roster into ten groups starting from the first student on the roster. The first student was randomly
selected from the first group. Then every tenth student was selected from the remaining students.
This is an example of a cluster sample.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a systematic sample because every tenth student was selected after the first student was chosen randomly, not a cluster sample where entire groups or clusters are chosen at random.

Question 15

The professor of a business statistics class wanted to find out the mean amount of
time per week her students spent studying for the class. She divided the students into the left,
right and center groups according to the location they sat in the class that day. One of these 3
groups was randomly selected and everyone in the group was asked the mean amount of time per
week he/she spent studying for the class. This is an example of a cluster sample.

Accepted Answer

The sample is grouped into clusters (based on seating location) and one cluster is randomly selected for the survey, making it a cluster sample.

Question 16

The question "How many times have you abused illicit drugs in the last 6
months?" will most likely result in nonresponse error.

Accepted Answer

The question is sensitive and personal in nature, leading to a potential reluctance or unwillingness to answer truthfully, resulting in nonresponse error.

Question 17

The question: "How much did you earn last year rounded to the nearest hundreds
of dollars?" will most likely result in measurement error.

Accepted Answer

Whenever a question asks for a rounded answer, there is a possibility of measurement error because rounding results in a loss of precision. Additionally, individuals may not remember their exact earnings and may round their answer themselves, leading to further measurement error.

Question 18

In a business statistics class students sit randomly without particular preferences.
A sample is selected by including everybody who sits in the first row. This is an example of a
cluster sample.

Accepted Answer

A cluster sample is when individuals are grouped together and a random sample of those groups is selected. In this case, the first row is the group and all individuals in that group are included in the sample, making it a cluster sample.

Question 19

If you randomly select a student from the first row of a business statistics class
and then every other fifth student thereafter until you get a sample of 20 students, this is an
example of a convenience sample.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of systematic sampling, not convenience sampling, because it involves selecting every nth individual from a list or queue.

Question 20

An electronic appliance chain gathered customer opinions on their services
using the customer feedback forms that are attached to the product registration forms. This is an
example of a convenience sample.

Accepted Answer

A convenience sample is a non-probability sampling technique where participants are chosen based on their availability and willingness to participate in the study. In this case, the customer feedback forms were only given to customers who registered their products, which is a form of convenience sampling.

Quiz 1: Defining and Collecting Data

Sampling error becomes an ethical issue if the findings are purposely presented without reference to sample size and margin of error so that the sponsor can promote a viewpoint that might otherwise be truly insignificant.

The question: "Have you used any form of illicit drugs over the past 2 months?" will most likely result in measurement error if the question is answered.

You stand at the main entrance to a departmental store and pick the first 20 customers that enter the store after it has opened its door for business on a single day. This is an example of a systematic sample.

Measurement error will become an ethical issue when the findings are presented without reference to sample size and margin of error.

Selection bias occurs more frequently in systematic samples than in simple random samples.

The only way one can eliminate sampling error is to take the whole population as the sample.

Coverage error can become an ethical issue if a particular group is intentionally excluded from the frame.

Measurement error can become an ethical issue when a survey sponsor chooses leading questions that guide the responses in a particular direction.

Measurement error can become an ethical issue when an interviewer purposely guides the responses in a particular direction.

To gather opinions on the efficacy of U.S. foreign policies, a sample of 50 faculty members is selected from the pool of university professors who have taught political science at the graduate level. This is an example of a judgment sample.

The question "Is your household income last year somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000?" will most likely result in coverage error.

The question "How many times have you abused illicit drugs in the last 6 months?" will most likely result in nonresponse error.

The question: "How much did you earn last year rounded to the nearest hundreds of dollars?" will most likely result in measurement error.

In a business statistics class students sit randomly without particular preferences. A sample is selected by including everybody who sits in the first row. This is an example of a cluster sample.

If you randomly select a student from the first row of a business statistics class and then every other fifth student thereafter until you get a sample of 20 students, this is an example of a convenience sample.

An electronic appliance chain gathered customer opinions on their services using the customer feedback forms that are attached to the product registration forms. This is an example of a convenience sample.