Question 1

Which of these sampling frames is most likely to produce the largest noncoverage bias problem?
A)Declared marketing majors in the College of Business
B)The metropolitan area telephone book
C)A department store's charge account customers
D)Heads of households in the graduate student apartment complex
E)Clients of an insurance office

Accepted Answer

The metropolitan area telephone book is likely to produce the largest noncoverage bias problem because it excludes people without phones or those who choose not to have their number listed. This can impact the generalizability of the sample to the overall population.

Question 2

A random sample of 5,000 households are selected for interviews with the following results: "1,010 completed interviews;864 refusals by the respondent;3,126 no answer/not at home".The response rate is
A)19%.
B)20%.
C)36%.
D)38%.
E)51%.

Accepted Answer

To calculate the response rate, we need to divide the number of completed interviews by the total number of households contacted:
Response rate = (completed interviews / (completed interviews + refusals + no answer)) x 100
Substituting the given values, we get:
Response rate = (1,010 / (1,010 + 864 + 3,126)) x 100
Response rate = 20%
Therefore, the response rate is 20%, which corresponds to choice B.

Question 3

Which of the following are most likely to be home when an interviewer calls during a weekday?
A)Married women without children
B)Single women
C)Married men
D)Married women with young children
E)Single men

Accepted Answer

Married women with young children are statistically more likely to be home during weekdays as they are often stay-at-home caregivers for their children. The other options, particularly single individuals, may be working during the day and therefore less likely to be reachable by phone.

Question 4

Which of the following are valid strategies for dealing with not-at-homes?
A)Smaller samples with a greater emphasis on generating a response
B)Callbacks
C)Substitutes
D)Smaller samples with a greater emphasis on generating a response and callbacks
E)Callbacks and substitutes

Accepted Answer

Smaller samples with a greater emphasis on generating a response and callbacks are both valid strategies for dealing with not-at-homes. Using smaller samples with a greater emphasis on generating a response can improve response rates, while callbacks can increase the likelihood of making contact with the target respondent. Using both strategies in combination can be even more effective. Substitutes are not a valid strategy for dealing with not-at-homes as they introduce bias into the sample.

Question 5

The probability of finding someone home is greater for
A)high-income families.
B)low-income families.
C)low-income and urban families.
D)urban families.
E)low-income and rural families.

Accepted Answer

Low-income and rural families are more likely to have someone at home due to fewer work opportunities and less access to urban amenities.

Question 6

The error a researcher should work most to minimize is
A)response error.
B)total error.
C)sample error.
D)nonresponse error.
E)office error.

Accepted Answer

Total error includes all possible sources of error in a research study, including response error, sample error, and nonresponse error. Minimizing total error is the most important task for a researcher to ensure the accuracy and reliability of their findings.

Question 7

The best way to deal with respondents not knowing the answer to a question is
A)perform sufficient exploratory research and questionnaire pretesting to understand what the population members are likely to know-or not know.
B)provide a "Don't know" response option.
C)increase the sample size.
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

Performing exploratory research and pretesting helps in understanding the knowledge level of respondents, allowing for better questionnaire design and reducing the likelihood of respondents not knowing the answer.

Question 8

The owner of Patty's Pizza Parlor wants to measure consumer awareness of the restaurant and uses the local telephone directory to draw a sample from which to survey the townspeople.However,some people do not have a telephone.This represents what type of problem?
A)Sampling error
B)Nonresponse error
C)Noncoverage error
D)Response error
E)Office error

Accepted Answer

Noncoverage error occurs when the sample does not include all members of the population, in this case, those who do not have a telephone.

Question 9

Nonresponse error represents
A)a measure of the difference between the size of the population and the size of the sample.
B)the number of sampling units not contacted on the first attempt.
C)a random distribution of unanswered questions.
D)a failure to obtain information from sampling units.
E)a uniform distribution of uncontacted respondents.

Accepted Answer

Nonresponse error arises when information is not obtained from sampling units, which could result in biased estimates of the population parameters. It can occur due to various reasons such as refusal to participate, inability to contact, or incomplete questionnaire. Options A, B, C, and E do not accurately represent nonresponse error.

Question 10

Which of the following is FALSE?
A)Nonresponse error is a potential problem in any project for which data are not collected from all respondents selected for the sample.
B)Nonresponse error only occurs when those who respond are systematically different from those who do not respond in some important way.
C)Refusal bias applies to projects using all forms of data collection.
D)The degree of nonresponse error is easy to assess.
E)All of these statements are true.

Accepted Answer

The statement "The degree of nonresponse error is easy to assess" is false. Assessing the degree of nonresponse error is often complex and requires careful analysis and statistical techniques. The other statements are true.

Question 11

Response error can be caused by
A)poorly written items.
B)respondent's attitudes and emotions.
C)interviewer bias.
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

Response error can be caused by all of the given factors. Poorly written items can confuse respondents or make it difficult for them to provide accurate answers. Respondent attitudes and emotions can influence their answers and lead to response bias. Interviewer bias can also impact respondents' answers, especially if the interviewer has a certain agenda or expectation. Therefore, all of these factors can lead to response error.

Question 12

Common problems of using lists as sampling frames include
A)the list is not up-to-date.
B)ineligibles are included in the list.
C)duplicates are included in the list.
D)some members of the desired population are not on the list.
E)All of these are common problems of using lists.

Accepted Answer

All of these are common problems of using lists. Lists can be incomplete, outdated, and contain ineligible or duplicate entries. Additionally, some members of the desired population may not be on the list, leading to sampling bias. It is important to address these issues when using lists as sampling frames to ensure accurate representation of the population being studied.

Question 13

Duplication in the list of sampling units results in
A)sampling error.
B)data collection error.
C)systematic error.
D)response error.
E)overcoverage error.

Accepted Answer

Duplication in the list of sampling units results in overcoverage error, which occurs when the sampling frame includes more units than the target population. This can lead to an overestimation of the population size and biased estimates of population characteristics.

Question 14

Noncoverage error is NOT a problem for which of the following sampling frames?
A)Phone book
B)Mailing list
C)Map
D)None of these have a potential noncoverage problem.
E)All of these potentially have a noncoverage problem.

Accepted Answer

Noncoverage error occurs when some members of the population are not represented in the sampling frame. A phone book might miss those without landlines or who opt out, a mailing list could miss individuals not registered or who have moved, and a map might not include transient populations or new constructions. Therefore, all these sampling frames potentially have a noncoverage problem.

Question 15

Which of these contributes to the nonresponse bias in a telephone survey? Let 1 = no answer;2 = not at home when contacted;3 = disconnected;4 = refused to participate in the study
A)1,2
B)1,2,3
C)3,4
D)2,4
E)1,2,3,4

Accepted Answer

Nonresponse bias in a telephone survey can be caused by all listed reasons: no answer, not at home when contacted, disconnected numbers, and refusal to participate in the study. Each of these scenarios results in a segment of the target population not being included in the survey, potentially skewing the results.

Question 16

Nonsampling error includes all of the following EXCEPT
A)noncoverage error.
B)office error.
C)response error.
D)quota error.
E)nonresponse error.

Accepted Answer

Quota error is a type of sampling error, while the other options all fall under the category of nonsampling error.

Question 17

The potential problem(s)of personal or telephone interviews that use open-ended questions include which of the following?
A)Interviewer bias
B)Recording errors
C)Interviewer cheating
D)All of these are correct.
E)None of these are correct.

Accepted Answer

All of these options are potential problems that may occur during personal or telephone interviews that use open-ended questions. Interviewer bias can occur if the interviewer has preconceived notions or expectations that affect the questions asked or how responses are interpreted. Recording errors may occur if the interviewer does not accurately document the responses given. Interviewer cheating may occur if the interviewer intentionally alters the responses or the interview process to achieve a particular outcome.

Question 18

Which of the following is FALSE?
A)Noncoverage is a problem in mail and e-mail surveys.
B)For some studies,clear,convenient,and complete sampling frames exist.
C)Overcoverage error poses a relatively common problem with sampling frames.
D)None of these are false.
E)All of these are false.

Accepted Answer

All the statements provided are true, making the statement that none of these are false correct. Noncoverage is indeed a problem in mail and e-mail surveys, clear and convenient sampling frames do exist for some studies, and overcoverage error is a common issue with sampling frames.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)For most surveys,overcoverage is more common than noncoverage.
B)Noncoverage error is not a problem in every survey.
C)Noncoverage bias can be reduced by increasing the sample size.
D)Families with several phone listings have a lower probability of being included in the sample than do sampling units with one listing.
E)All of these statements are false.

Accepted Answer

While noncoverage error can occur in many surveys, it is not a problem in every survey. It depends on the sampling method and the population being studied. The other statements are false: overcoverage is less common than noncoverage, increasing sample size does not necessarily reduce noncoverage bias, and families with several phone listings may actually have a higher probability of being included in the sample.

Question 20

Which of the following is FALSE?
A)The main sources of nonresponse bias are not-at-homes and refusals.
B)The type of incentive used to reduce nonresponse may create another potential bias.
C)Technological advancements have helped researchers overcome the not-at-home problem.
D)Using incentives to reduce the nonresponse rate may inflate response errors.
E)Not-at-homes and refusals are both sources of error in telephone surveys.

Accepted Answer

Technological advancements have not completely overcome the not-at-home problem. While tools like caller ID and voicemail have helped researchers leave messages and schedule callbacks, not-at-home remains a common source of nonresponse bias.

Quiz 15: Data Collection: Types of Error and Response Rate Calculation

Which of these sampling frames is most likely to produce the largest noncoverage bias problem?

A random sample of 5,000 households are selected for interviews with the following results: "1,010 completed interviews;864 refusals by the respondent;3,126 no answer/not at home".The response rate is

Which of the following are most likely to be home when an interviewer calls during a weekday?

Which of the following are valid strategies for dealing with not-at-homes?

The probability of finding someone home is greater for

The error a researcher should work most to minimize is

The best way to deal with respondents not knowing the answer to a question is

The owner of Patty's Pizza Parlor wants to measure consumer awareness of the restaurant and uses the local telephone directory to draw a sample from which to survey the townspeople.However,some people do not have a telephone.This represents what type of problem?

Nonresponse error represents

Which of the following is FALSE?

Response error can be caused by

Common problems of using lists as sampling frames include

Duplication in the list of sampling units results in

Noncoverage error is NOT a problem for which of the following sampling frames?

Which of these contributes to the nonresponse bias in a telephone survey? Let 1 = no answer;2 = not at home when contacted;3 = disconnected;4 = refused to participate in the study

Nonsampling error includes all of the following EXCEPT

The potential problem(s) of personal or telephone interviews that use open-ended questions include which of the following?

Which of the following is FALSE?

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Which of the following is FALSE?