A study on the effect of adolescents' criminal behavior on their likelihood of graduating high school asks adolescents about their own criminal behavior,but uses county-level high-school graduation rates.This study has a problem,which is
A)mutual exclusivity.
B)reductionism.
C)a lack of reliability.
D)an ecological fallacy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The problem with the study is an ecological fallacy, which occurs when individual-level data is used to make inferences about a larger group or population. In this case, using county-level high school graduation rates to draw conclusions about individual adolescents' likelihood of graduating high school based on their criminal behavior is problematic. The two variables (criminal behavior and high school graduation) may not be directly related, and the county-level data does not provide enough information about individual behavior to make accurate predictions.

A Study on the Effect of Adolescents' Criminal Behavior on Their