The Two Paragraphs Below Discuss Aspects of Two Studies, Each

question 24

Essay

The two paragraphs below discuss aspects of two studies, each of which exhibit a bias. For each study, decide whether the problem is selection bias, response bias, or nonresponse bias, and in a few sentences explain why you chose your answer. (a) One part of the Nurses' Health Study is concerned with possible causes of skin cancer. Nurses were asked about different behaviors and aspects of their health when they entered the study. Then, the nurses were given the questionnaire again if they were diagnosed with cancer. When the questionnaires were analyzed, the investigators discovered that after the nurses were diagnosed with cancer they tended to report a reduced ability to tan. It is thought that the shift in reporting might be caused by an awareness of their diagnosis. (b) One part of the Demographic and Health Surveys Program is concerned with measures of malnutrition. Investigators measure physical aspects of growing children, and attempt to document the physical characteristics of a population at different ages. Sadly, in some countries many children die early, and thus a bias is introduced in the study when the investigators can not collect the data from the deceased children.

Evaluate the relationship between public policies, reproductive rights, and women's status in society.

Understand the dynamics of sexual and reproductive behavior as influenced by public policy and health education.

Analyze how sexual attitudes and behaviors are shaped by, and in turn shape, social hierarchies and inequalities.

Understand the impact of deindividuation and costume on behavior.

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Definitions:

Ambiguous Pictures

Images or visual stimuli that can be interpreted in more than one way and often require perceptual switching to see the different interpretations.

DSM

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a handbook used by healthcare professionals as the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders.

Personality Inventories

Standardized questionnaires used to assess an individual's personality traits and characteristics.

Cultural Standards

The norms and values that a specific group of people consider to be acceptable and important.