Deck 4: Data Collection and Sampling Methods

Question 1

There are two key variables in an experiment: the independent variable (or treatment)and the dependent variable (or measurement).

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Statistics can be used as a descriptive tool for expressing information relevant to business.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Statistics can be used as an inferential device for using sample findings to draw conclusions about a population.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In causal research,the objective is to determine if one variable has an effect on another.

Question 5

A recent graduate of mortuary school samples the death rate statistics for counties in her state in hopes of finding a good location to start a mortuary.This is an example of secondary data.

Question 6

Response error can occur when an individual fails to return a questionnaire.

Question 7

In evaluating experiments,two kinds of validity must be considered: internal and external.

Question 8

A manufacturer of semiconductors experiments with different designs and records the data.This is an example of using primary data.

Question 9

External validity refers to whether the experimental treatment really made the difference in the measurements obtained.

Question 10

Predictive research attempts to forecast some situation or value that will occur in the future.

Question 11

An economics student searches the Survey of Current Business for gross domestic product data as a class report item.This is an example of using primary data.

Question 12

Questionnaires should be pretested by personally administering them to a small number of persons who are similar to the eventual sample members.

Question 13

The persons or objects receiving a treatment in an experiment are said to be in the control group.

Question 14

A sample consisting of firms or persons who have engaged in a specific behavior or activity are said to be taken from a compiled list.

Question 15

Factor analysis is a set of techniques for studying interrelationships among variables.This is done by reducing a very large set of variables to a smaller set of new variables (factors)that are more basic in meaning but contain most of the information in the original set.

Question 16

In general,multiple choice and dichotomous questions can be easy to formulate,but data entry and analysis are relatively hard to accomplish.

Question 17

Causal research helps us become familiar with the problem situation,identify important variables,and use other variables to form hypotheses that can be tested in subsequent research.

Question 18

Exploratory research can be of a qualitative nature.

Question 19

Consumers Union purchases twenty-five brands of lawnmowers and tests them for various attributes.This is an example of secondary data.

Question 20

Regarding causal studies,it should be pointed out that statistical techniques alone can prove causality.

Question 21

A statistic is a characteristic of a sample such as the sample mean or sample standard deviation.

Question 22

Which of the following statements describe secondary external data?

A) A manufacturer of semiconductors experiments with different designs and records the data.
B) A mail order company conducts a telephone survey among recent purchasers.
C) A presidential candidate commissions a political survey organization to establish the percent of persons favoring her candidacy.
D) A recent graduate of mortuary school samples the death rate statistics for counties in her state in hopes of finding a good location to start a mortuary.
E) Consumers Union purchases 25 brands of lawnmowers and tests them for various attributes.

Question 23

Business research studies can be categorized according to the objective involved and may be exploratory,descriptive,causal,or predictive.

Question 24

In the simple random sample,each person or element has the same chance of being included in the sample.

Question 25

In cluster analysis,the individuals or objects are categorized into different groups where the members of each group tend to be different.

Question 26

When a person receives a mail questionnaire and places it in the wastebasket,they are contributing to:

A) sampling error
B) response error
C) nonresponse error
D) nonsystematic error
E) nonsampling error

Question 27

The convenience sample is an example of probability sampling where every person or element in the population may not have an equal chance for inclusion in the sample.

Question 28

The difference between a sample mean and the corresponding population mean is called a:

A) nonresponse error
B) systematic error
C) sampling error
D) response error
E) bias

Question 29

Sampling error is a random,nondirectional error that is inevitable whenever a sample is taken instead of a census.

Question 30

In practice,most studies involve relatively large populations for which taking a sample can provide satisfactory results much more quickly and at considerably lower cost than a census.

Question 31

A census can be viewed as a "sample" that includes the entire population.

Question 32

Nonsampling errors can be reduced by increasing the size of a sample.

Question 33

Which of the following statements describe secondary internal data?

A) A manufacturer of semiconductors uses available company sales and inventory valuation records to prepare an inventory turnover ratio for each month.
B) A mail order company conducts a telephone survey among recent purchasers.
C) A presidential candidate commissions a political survey organization to establish the percent of persons favoring her candidacy.
D) A recent graduate of mortuary school samples the death rate statistics for counties in her state in hopes of finding a good location to start a mortuary.
E) Consumers Union purchases 25 brands of lawnmowers and tests them for various attributes.

Question 34

When a respondent indicates that he is 25 years old when he is actually 35 years old,he is contributing to:

A) sampling error.
B) response error.
C) nonresponse error.
D) bias.
E) nonsampling error.

Question 35

The quota sample is an example of nonprobability sampling that is similar to the stratified probability sample,except that members of the various strata are not chosen through the use of a probability sampling technique.

Question 36

Which of the following questionnaire designs requires the respondent to pick from only two choices?

A) dichotomous questions
B) multiple choice questions
C) open-ended questions
D) demographic questions

Question 37

Which of the following is not an example of primary data?

A) Data published by the United States Bureau of Census.
B) Data published by Statistics Canada.
C) Data published by the New York Stock Exchange.
D) Financial data tapes that contain data compiled from the New York Stock Exchange.

Question 38

Secondary data tends to require more time and expense,but have the advantage of being more applicable to the research problem or situation.

Question 39

In practice,a sample can be more accurate than a census.

Question 40

Bias is a type of error that can occur because a sample has been taken rather than a census.

Question 41

Which of the following is a nonprobability sample?

A) Simple random sample
B) Systematic sample
C) Judgment sample
D) Stratified sample
E) Cluster sample

Question 42

Which type of sampling would primarily be used in exploratory research studies where there is no intention of making statistical inferences from the sample to the population?

A) probability sampling
B) nonprobability sampling
C) simple random sampling
D) cluster sampling
E) stratified sampling

Question 43

When the sample mean differs from the population mean simply be chance,the error that results is known as:

A) sampling error.
B) response error.
C) nonresponse error.
D) bias.
E) nonsystematic error.

Question 44

When is a sample a better choice than a census?

A) When the population is changing over time.
B) When taking the U.S.Census of the population.
C) When some sampling error can be tolerated.
D) When time is an important factor.
E) Each of these is a reason for taking a sample rather than a census.

Question 45

Which of the following represents an advantage of taking a sample?

A) Less expense than a census.
B) Can be completed in a timely fashion.
C) Testing or measuring is a destructive process.
D) The size of the population is very large.
E) Each of these is an advantage of taking a sample rather than a census.

Question 46

A sample is:

A) the entire set of elements being observed or measured.
B) a selected portion of elements from the universe.
C) the measurement/observation of the population.
D) that portion of the population that can be theoretically considered.
E) a measurement of the universe.

Question 47

Which of the following is a major weakness of a nonprobability sample?

A) Not every element has a known chance of being included in the sample.
B) It is convenient for the sample taker.
C) It allows the selection of members,which are not typical.
D) It is used in small exploratory studies.
E) It is cost efficient.

Question 48

Which of the following statements is not correct?

A) Internal secondary data are those that have been generated by your own firm or organization.
B) External secondary data are those that have been generated by someone outside the firm or organization,often for another purpose.
C) Internal secondary data have traditionally existed in the form of accounting or financial information.
D) All of these statements are correct.
E) None of these statements is correct.

Question 49

Which of the following must be avoided in designing a questionnaire?

A) Dichotomous questions
B) Leading questions
C) Open-ended questions
D) Demographic questions

Question 50

A census is:

A) a complete enumeration of the population.
B) a survey of the entire population.
C) the measurement of a sample.
D) answers A and B are both correct.
E) answers A and C are both correct.

Question 51

One weakness of a systematic sample is that:

A) it is difficult to separate the population into strata.
B) geographic areas may not be known.
C) taking the sample requires judgment on the part of the researcher.
D) the data may exhibit a pattern of periodicity.
E) the observations are chosen because they are not typical of the population.

Question 52

Which of the following is a correct statement?

A) A parameter is a characteristic of the universe.
B) A census is a measurement of a sample.
C) A statistic describes a variable for the population.
D) A census is always a better measurement than is a sample.
E) A parameter is a characteristic of the sample.

Question 53

To overcome one of the shortcomings of telephone surveys due to unlisted telephone numbers:

A) survey takers purchase mail lists of unlisted telephone number subscribers.
B) survey takers employ random digit dialing facilities.
C) survey takers contact telephone companies for a list of unlisted telephone numbers.
D) survey takers purchase lists of unlisted telephone numbers from magazine subscribers.
E) survey takers go door to door and identify the unlisted telephone subscribers.

Question 54

A characteristic of a sample,such as the sample mean or sample standard deviation,is known as a(n):

A) population
B) census
C) parameter
D) observation
E) statistic

Question 55

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) Extraneous variables refer to outside variables that are not part of the experiment.
B) Persons or objects receiving a treatment are said to be in an experimental group.
C) Persons or objects not exposed to a treatment are said to be in a control group.
D) Internal validity refers to whether the treatment really made the difference in the measurements obtained.
E) All of these are true.

Question 56

If the population for a study is defined as the student body in a particular high school,and the sample is selected by randomly choosing classrooms at 11:00 AM and administering the survey to all the students in those classes,we are relying on:

A) simple random sampling.
B) nonprobability sampling.
C) cluster sampling.
D) stratified sampling.
E) convenience sampling.

Question 57

Which of the following is an example of nonsampling errors?

A) Errors that arise from the recording of incorrect responses
B) Errors that arise when responses are not obtained from some members of the sample
C) Errors that arise when some members of the target population cannot possibly be selected in the sample
D) All of these.

Question 58

Which of the following variables probably could be measured in an observational study of airline travelers?

A) The brand of coffee they drink at home.
B) The occupation of the traveler.
C) How many frequent traveler miles they have earned.
D) The gender of the traveler.
E) The total number of bags taken on the airplane trip (carry-on and checked).

Question 59

Which of the following questionnaire designs allow the respondent to freely formulate his or her own answer and expand on the subject of the question?

A) Multiple choice
B) Dichotomous
C) Open-ended
D) All of the above

Question 60

At the annual freshman mixer at your university,each student places a card with his/her name in a large basket.A card is drawn for the evening's door prize.This is an example of:

A) a nonprobability sample.
B) a probability sample.
C) a simple random sample.
D) both A and C are correct.
E) both B and C are correct.

Question 61

The ____________________ is a method in which a moderator leads a small-group discussion about a topic and the client watches and listens from behind a one-way mirror.

Question 62

When the population is divided into mutually exclusive sets,and then a simple random sample is drawn from each set,this is called:

A) simple random sampling.
B) stratified sampling.
C) cluster sampling.
D) systematic sampling.
E) quota sampling.

Question 63

When every possible sample of size n has the same chance of being selected,this is called:

A) simple random sampling.
B) stratified sampling.
C) cluster sampling.
D) convenience sampling.
E) quota sampling.

Question 64

A(n)____________________ questionnaire offers respondents only two alternatives.

Question 65

In experiments,the purpose is to identify ____________________ and ____________________ relationships between variables.

Question 66

A(n)____________________ questionnaire leaves respondents free to formulate their own answers and expand on the subject of the questionnaire.

Question 67

Fill in the blank: Data that are collected by someone other than the researcher,for purposes other than the problem or decision at hand,are referred to as _________________________.

Question 68

The nonprobability sampling technique where members are chosen specifically because they are not typical of the population is known as:

A) judgment sampling.
B) quota sampling.
C) convenience sampling.
D) purposive sampling.
E) cluster sampling.

Question 69

When the respondents to a questionnaire have different characteristics from those who did not choose to participate in the survey,the survey will likely suffer from ____________________.

Question 70

When all the items in a population have some (nonzero)known or calculable chance of being selected in the sample,this is called:

A) probability sampling.
B) nonprobability sampling.
C) purposive sampling.
D) convenience sampling.
E) judgment sampling.

Question 71

In order to obtain a sample of persons owning a telephone,you select every 24th name in the local phone book.This is an example of:

A) simple random sampling
B) systematic sampling
C) stratified sampling
D) probability sampling
E) both B and D are correct

Question 72

Which of the following statements is not true?

A) For probability samples,sampling error can be reduced by decreasing the sample size.
B) Nonsampling error is a tendency toward error in one direction or the other and can be present even if a complete census is taken.
C) In probability sampling,each element in the population has some (nonzero)known or calculable chance of being included in the sample.
D) In nonprobability sampling,not everyone in the population has a chance of being included in the sample.
E) Nonprobability techniques discussed in the text include convenience,quota,purposive,and judgment sampling.

Question 73

____________________ validity asks whether the results of an experiment can be generalized to other people or settings.

Question 74

A non-sampling error is also referred to as ____________________,because it is a directional error.

Question 75

A pharmaceutical company interested in measuring how often physicians prescribe a certain drug has selected a simple random sample from each of two groups: M.D.(medical doctors)and D.O (osteopathic doctors).What is this type of sampling called?

A) Simple random sampling
B) Cluster sampling
C) Stratified sampling
D) Purposive sampling
E) Quota sampling

Question 76

____________________ helps us become familiar with the problem situation,identify important variables,and use these variables to form hypotheses that can be tested in subsequent research.

Question 77

While taking a census is more expensive than taking a sample,taking a census might help eliminate the problem of ____________________ error.

Question 78

The ______________________________ technique identifies the variables that best separate members of two or more groups.It can also be used to predict group membership on the basis of variables that have been measured or observed.

Question 79

Which of the following sampling plans use random methods of selections?

A) Simple random sampling
B) Stratified sampling
C) Cluster sampling
D) Systematic Sampling
E) All of these

Question 80

Which of the following does not characterize stratified sampling?

A) The population is divided into strata that are distinct.
B) The population is divided into strata that are mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
C) The population is divided into strata that are homogenous.
D) The population is divided into strata that are heterogenous.