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Research Statistical Analysis Question
sabataravati
#1 Posted : Wednesday, June 07, 2017 7:01:42 PM
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In the ICE questions for lecture B of Statistical Analysis, it mentions that

# 4 of the first passage is answer C. However the back of the book does not provide an explanation for why the answer D is not suitable.

The question asks that Randomization is useful within statistics because it

A. helps us infer a strong causal relationship within observational studies, which cannot otherwise showcase causation?
B. eliminates bias due to random errors
C. minimizes confounding variables bias
D. guarantees representatives in the sample

is the reasoning behind why D is not a good answer because it uses an extreme word of "guarantees"?

Thanks!
caitlinbennett
#2 Posted : Friday, June 09, 2017 2:42:09 PM
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Hi!
Good eye - "guarantees" is why the question is wrong. Randomization makes it more likely that a sample is representative but (because it's random) it can't guarantee anything. You could randomly select a sample that is slightly older, or has different social influences than the general population. The reason to use randomization, as C suggests, is to avoid doing this, but as with any random process there is a chance representatives of certain parts of a population won't be selected. There are also other factors that influence representativeness. For example, you could have a sample that is too small & can't include enough representatives - regardless of randomization. Hope this helps!
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