STATISTICS ASSIGNMENT -
Answer the following problems:
1. Radio Talk Show: Sample Bias - A radio talk show asked listeners to respond either yes or no to the question, Is the candidate who spends the most on a campaign the most likely to win? Fifteen people called in and nine said yes. What is the implied population? What is the variable? Can you detect any bias in the selection of the sample?
2. Essay: Levels of Measurement - In your own words, give a complete and careful description of the four levels of measurement. Which level is the highest? Which is the lowest? What are the different suitable uses for each level of measurement?
3. General: Gathering Data - Which technique (observational study or experiment) for gathering data do you think was used in the following studies? Explain your answer.
(a) The U.S. Census Bureau tracks population age. In 1900, the percentage of the population that was nineteen years old or younger was 44.4%. In 1930, the percentage was 38.8%; in 1970, the percentage was 37.9%; and in 2000, the percentage in the age group was down to 28.5% (The First Measured Century, T. Caplow, L. Hicks, B. J. Wattenberg).
(b) After receiving the same lessons, a class of 100 students was randomly divided into two groups of 50 each. One group was given a multiple-choice exam over the material in the lessons. The other group was given an essay exam. The aver-age test scores for the two groups were then compared.
Write a 2-4 paper addressing the assigned questions.
Your paper will be evaluated on how well the issues were addressed, how well terminology from the text was used, and the writing style and organization.
Textbook - Understanding Basic Statistics by Brase & Brase, 3rd edition.