Faced with data that do not support an assumption of independence between two variables in a population, a researcher should:
A)immediately reject the assumption of independence.
B)attribute this discrepancy to an unrepresentative sample or reject the assumption of independence.
C)retest the data in order to confirm these initial findings.
D)immediately assume that the sample was unrepresentative of the population.
E)ignore the findings as incorrect and start again.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The researcher should first evaluate the sample to ensure that it is representative of the population. If the sample is representative, then the assumption of independence should be rejected. If the sample is not representative, then the researcher may want to retest the data. Therefore, choice B is the best option as it is important to take into consideration the possibility of an unrepresentative sample before rejecting the assumption of independence.

Faced with Data That Do Not Support an Assumption of Independence