Imagine that your friend James has just taken up the habit of smoking cigars because he thinks it makes him look cool. You are concerned about the detrimental effects of smoking on his health, and you raise that concern to him. James gets a bit annoyed with your criticism and says, "My grandfather smoked cigars, and he lived to be 100!" You might point out that a major problem with his argument involves
A) framing.
B) the conjunction rule.
C) sample size.
D) none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

James's argument is based on a sample size of one (his grandfather), which is not statistically significant or representative of the larger population. It is possible that James's grandfather lived to be 100 despite smoking cigars, but it would be more likely that he lived to be 100 in spite of his smoking habit. A larger sample size and more comprehensive research is needed to draw accurate conclusions about the health effects of smoking cigars.

Imagine That Your Friend James Has Just Taken Up the Habit