Participants are told, "Hospital A has an average of 45 births per day; Hospital B has an average ofonly 15 births per day." The participants are then asked, "Which hospital is more likely to have a day in which at least 60% of the babies born are female?" In answering the question, participants

a) answer in a fashion governed by the law of small numbers.

b) seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a small sample.

c) seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a larger sample.

d) correctly realize that departures from the average case are not dependent on hospital size.

Question

Caroline Short

Social Studies

12 August, 06:17

Participants are told, "Hospital A has an average of 45 births per day; Hospital B has an average ofonly 15 births per day." The participants are then asked, "Which hospital is more likely to have a day in which at least 60% of the babies born are female?" In answering the question, participants

a) answer in a fashion governed by the law of small numbers.

b) seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a small sample.

c) seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a larger sample.

d) correctly realize that departures from the average case are not dependent on hospital size.

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Answers (1)

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Aileen Burton · Answer 1

b) seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a small sample.

Explanation:

When participants are asked, "Which hospital is more likely to have a day in which at least 60% of the babies born are female?" In answering the question, they seem insensitive to the fact that departures from the average case are more likely with a small sample. Participants, appear not to take into account the size of the sample in their responses. They seem to think that the size of the sample doesn't matter. This is not true. The smaller the size of the sample one analyzes, the more one would stray from the average.