In response to a wave of mass killings, a political psychologist sets up an online study to examine attitudes towards gun control in the United States.The study involves collecting a sample of 40,000 Internet users recruited throughout all 50 states using advertisements on political discussion and news sites and including an equal number of men and women and an equal number of supporters of the two main political parties.The survey shows that a large majority favour tighter gun controls.Which of the following statements is true?
A)The survey is biased because of the distorting effect of the mass killings on public opinion.
B)The survey is more valid than most national opinion polls that use samples of 1000 to 2000 people.
C)The survey is biased because the researcher appears to be biased in favour of gun control.
D)This type of survey is called a virtual survey because it is conducted on the Internet.
E)None of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The survey's methodology, as described, does not inherently indicate bias due to the researcher's personal views (C), the effect of mass killings (A), or the fact that it's conducted online (D). The size of the sample (B) does not automatically make it more valid than other polls, as validity depends on how representative the sample is, not just its size.

In Response to a Wave of Mass Killings, a Political