Constance, a sociologist, found a piece of research performed by another sociologist intriguing. It looked at the impact of learning new activities on the aging process. When she read the results, which were reported in a journal she read, she saw that the number of people studied had been very small. But the report itself was well written and enthusiastic. Much as Constance was excited by the findings, she wondered if bias might have affected them. Things looked just a little bit too good. The way to check this would be to _____ the study.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best way to check for bias and the reliability of the findings would be to replicate the study with a larger and more diverse sample size. This would help to confirm whether the original findings were accurate and unbiased or not. Demanding that the author defend or denouncing the study would not be productive without further evidence. Asking colleagues about the study may provide some input, but it would not be a comprehensive way of validating the findings.

Constance, a Sociologist, Found a Piece of Research Performed by Another