Introduction to Statistics
Group Assignment G2
Objectives
- Further explore the concepts and terminology from Chapter 1 in class a group
- See statistics in the real world
This assignment should be completed in a group and should be submitted on paper in class.
- Label this assignment with G2, all names of the team members, and the due date. You will submit one copy from the entire group, so one team member should volunteer to be the "scribe." You may have heard the recent news that a World Health Organization (WHO) panel has concluded that cellphones are "possibly carcinogenic." Let's see who the WHO is and why they have reached this conclusion.
- Read the following:
- About the WHO: http://www.who.int/about/en/
- A recent Washingtion Post article on this classification: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/cell-phones-possibly-carcinogenic-who-says/2011/05/31/AGRktZFH_story.html
- Here is a link to the actual WHO classification: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf
- One of the primary referenced studies on this matter was published by Oxford University Press:
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/ije/press_releases/freepdf/dyq079.pdf - Answer each of the following questions in several full sesntences or paragraphs:
- Discuss the stated mission of the WHO. How does the classification of cell phones as "possibly carcinogenic" fit within the scope of the mission of the WHO?
- Focusing on the study published by the Oxford University Press:
- What are the variables under study?
- What are the data in the study?
- Are descriptive, inferential or both types of statistics used? Explain.
- What is the population under study?
- Was a sample collected? If so, how large and from where?
- Was a survey used? If so, what type?
- Categorize each variable as quantitative or qualitative. Explain.
- Categorize each quantitative variable as discrete or continuous. Explain.
- Identify the level of measurement for each variable.
- List some possible confounding variables.
- A study such as this is published primarily for reading by other experts. What in the study was confusing or hard to understand?
- From the information given in this study, comment on the relationship between the variables.
- Comment on how each of the team members will or will not change behavior as a result of this reading and discussion.
- Discuss the analysis and report from the Washington Post. Do you think it was a good report. Explain why or why not.
Note that this group assignment is due in class today.