Statistics are all around us, whether or not we notice them being used. From public policy, health, economics, science, culture to which foods a fast-food restaurant is going to serve next can all be influenced by how the results of statistical studies are operationalized and interpreted. Each chapter of your course text concludes with two “Focus on” sections that go into depth on important issues of our time. The topics of these sections were chosen to demonstrate the great variety of fields in which statistics plays a role. For this Discussion, you are going to review and compare two statistical studies. To prepare for this Discussion: • Think about your degree major and your areas of interests, and then concentrate on two of the following “Focus on” disciplines: Agriculture, Criminology, Economics, Education, Environment, Health & Education, History, Law, Literature, Politics, Psychology, Public Health, Social Science, Sociology, or The Stock Market • Review the readings from this week’s Learning Resources, as well as the complete list of the “Focus on” topics to choose from • Choose two of the studies to compare for this Discussion • For each study, consider the sample population used, errors that could occur in the research process, and how meaningful and important the results of the study are Post a 2- to 3-paragraph response that includes the following information: • Identify two “Focus on…” sections you have chosen to review and provide a brief summary of the content. • For each topic, discuss whether you think the sample is representative of the population being studied. What criteria did you use to decide this? • Was the sample chosen in a way that is likely to introduce bias? What kinds of errors are likely to be associated with each study? Explain. • Based on what you read, do you believe that the results of each study are meaningful and important? Explain. • Based on the responses above, which do you think is the stronger study? Why? Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s Learning Resources or to something you have read, heard, seen, or experienced.
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