1. Bias and Experimental Error

5. A group of people were given a survey about the state speed limit on open highways. The sample group included teenagers ranging in age from Why might the sample give misleading results?
(The survey only asked young people, some of which, not even being licensed drivers.)

6. A survey was conducted by a department store to find the most popular shoe designer for year olds. The store sent surveys out to all women on their mailing list within the age range. Why might this sample give misleading results?
(The survey does not specify women’s shoes. Since only the women are being surveyed, this leave the men under-represented.)

7. Tasha was asked to conduct a survey to find the favorite pizza topping in her class. She asked the 5 students that sit at her table. Is her sample representative of the entire class? Explain.
(The sample is biased, because Tasha didn’t give everyone a fair chance to share his/her favorite topping.)

8. Star Video wanted to find the most popular movie type
Star Video wanted to find the most popular movie type. They surveyed every 5th person that walked in to rent a movie on Tuesday. Is their sample representative of their clientele? Explain.
(This sample is biased, because it only includes the every 5th video member that happened to come into the store on Tuesday.)

9. A group of people were given a survey about senior citizen discounts
A group of people were given a survey about senior citizen discounts. The table below shows the percentages of people surveyed in different age groups. Why might the sample be biased?
(This sample and display is biased because the people in their 50s and up only account for 12% of the total survey. Therefore, the sample does not represent their opinions adequately.)