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Based on your understanding of survey methodology, diagnose the specific methodological flaw present in this study's final sample. Explain how this flaw developed despite the initial random sampling and how it might affect the researchers' conclusions.
Case context: A team of psychologists is conducting a mail survey to measure community attitudes toward a new mental health clinic. They use a careful random sampling method to mail the survey to 1,000 households. After three months, only 150 surveys are returned. The researchers notice that most of the returned surveys are from retired individuals who have ample free time, while working-class young adults largely ignored the mailings.
Question: Based on your understanding of survey methodology, diagnose the specific methodological flaw present in this study's final sample. Explain how this flaw developed despite the initial random sampling and how it might affect the researchers' conclusions.
Sample answer: The study suffers from non-response bias. Although the researchers initially used careful random sampling to select 1,000 households, they utilized a mail survey, which generally has low response rates and is highly susceptible to this type of bias. The non-responders (working-class young adults who might be too busy) differ in systematic ways from the responders (retired individuals with ample free time). Because these two groups are systematically different, the final sample of 150 respondents no longer accurately represents the original intended sample. This will skew the results, leading to inaccurate conclusions that likely overrepresent the attitudes of retirees.
Key points:
- The specific methodological flaw in the final sample is non-response bias.
- Mail surveys generally have lower response rates, making them highly susceptible to non-response bias.
- There are systematic ways in which the survey non-responders (busy young adults) differ from the responders (retirees).
- Initial random sampling cannot guarantee an unbiased final sample if systematic non-response occurs.
- The final respondents no longer accurately represent the original intended sample, leading to skewed and inaccurate conclusions.
Rubric: The response must identify non-response bias as the specific flaw, explain that mail surveys are particularly susceptible due to low response rates, and articulate that the systematic difference between responders (retirees) and non-responders (young adults) compromises the representativeness of the final sample.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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