Chapter 1: Q7. (page 49)
Explain how population and variables differ?
The main difference between population and variables is that variables explain the attribute of any population.
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College application data. Colleges and universities are requiring an increasing amount of information about applicants before making acceptance and financial aid decisions. Classify each of the following types of data required on a college application as quantitative or qualitative.
a. High school GPA
b. Honors, awards
c. Applicant's score on the SAT or ACT
d. Gender of applicant
e. Parents’ income
f. Age of applicant
Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?
Consumer recycling behavior. Under what conditions will consumers dispose of recyclable paper in the garbage? This was the question of interest in an article published in the Journal of Consumer Research (December, 2013). In one of the studies conducted, the researchers instructed 78 college students to cut an 8.5-×11-inch sheet of paper into eight smaller pieces. Half the students were randomly assigned to list five uses for the cut paper (usefulness is salient condition). The students in the other half were asked to list their five favorite TV shows (control condition). After completing an unrelated task, all students were asked to dispose of the paper upon leaving. There was a trash bin and a recycling bin outside the door. The researchers kept track of which students recycled and which students disposed of their paper in the garbage. This information was used to test the theory that students in the usefulness is salient condition will recycle at a higher rate than students in the control condition.
a. Explain why the data-collection method used in this study is a designed experiment.
b. Identify the experimental unit in this study.
c. Identify the variables measured in this study. What data type (quantitative or qualitative) is produced from each variable? (Hint: Two variables are measured.)
d. About 68% of the students in the usefulness is recycled, compared to 37% of students in the control condition. Use this information to make an inference about the population of interest.
The economic return to earning an MBA. What are the economic rewards (e.g., higher salary) to obtaining an MBA degree? This was the question of interest in an article published in the International Economic Review (August 2008). The researchers made inferences based on wage data collected for a sample of 3,244 individuals who sat for the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). (The GMAT exam is required for entrance into most MBA programs.) The following sampling scheme was employed. All those who took the GMAT exam in any of four selected time periods were mailed a questionnaire. Those who responded to the questionnaire were then sent three follow-up surveys (one survey every 3 months). The final sample of 3,244 represents only those individuals who responded to all four surveys. (For example, about 5,600 took the GMAT in one time period; of these, only about 800 responded to all four surveys.)
A. For this study, describe the population of interest.
b. What method was used to collect the sample data?
c. Do you think the final sample is representative of the population? Why or why not? Comment on potential biases in the sample.
Suppose that a production batch contains 1,000 units and you have to select 10 units for quality assurance. Use a random number generator to select a simple random sample of n = 10 from the production batch.
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