A researcher creates an online survey to measure flaming (aggressive commentary)on the Internet.The survey is distributed by mailing a web link to randomly selected users of the largest social media service in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Israel.The survey is in English and is sent to 3200 users with a 25% return rate.The questions include "Are you a troll?" and "Do you flame people for fun or do they just deserve it?" as well as a standard inventory measuring aggression.The researchers conclude that flaming is higher in the United Kingdom but aggression is higher in Australia.Which of the following statements is true?
A)The study's design provides a sound basis for the researcher's conclusion.
B)We cannot tell from the information provided whether the study's design provides a sound platform for the researcher's conclusion.
C)The study's design provides a sound basis for the researcher's conclusion because an equal number of people were sampled from each country (eliminating bias).
D)The study's design provides a sound basis for the researcher's conclusion because it employed random sampling.
E)The study's design provides a poor basis for the researcher's conclusion in part because we do not know if we have a representative sample of each country's users.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The study's design has several limitations that make it a poor basis for the researcher's conclusion. Firstly, the survey was distributed only to users of the largest social media service in four countries, which may not be representative of all Internet users in those countries. Secondly, the survey was conducted in English, which may limit the sample to English-speaking users and exclude non-English speakers. Thirdly, the survey relies on self-report, which may be biased if respondents are not honest in their answers. Finally, the survey questions themselves may not be a valid measure of flaming or aggression, as they rely on subjective judgments of respondents. Therefore, the conclusion that flaming is higher in the UK and aggression is higher in Australia should be viewed with caution.

A Researcher Creates an Online Survey to Measure Flaming (Aggressive