Bad statistics may well result from asking questions in thewrong way, or of the

Question

Bad statistics may well result from asking questions in thewrong way, or of the wrong persons. Explain why the following maylead to useless data:

(a) To study business executives’ reaction tophotocopying machines, the Xerox Corporation hires a researchorganization to ask business executives the question, “How doyou like using Xerox copiers?”

(b) To determine what the average person spends on awristwatch, a researcher interviews only persons wearing a Rolexwristwatch.

(c) To determine the average expenditures of a typicalperson on a vacation, a researcher interviews only passengersaboard a luxury ocean liner on a lengthy cruise.

Explanation / Answer

(a) The study aims to find the reaction to (any type of)photocopying machines, but only asks about Xerox products. Also,arguably, many business executives won't know much about thephotocopiers in their company in the first place, as the adminsprobably do the actual copying. (b) Rolex wearers are hardly your average person and won't providemuch useful info about how much the average person spends on awrist watch. (c) Passengers on luxury ocean liners and lengthy cruises arelikely to spend above average for their vacation. Hence the studywon't get correct answers about the average person's vacationexpenditures.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse B
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.