Question

#5 which of the following best defines the meaning of \bias\ as used in statistics?

(a) when a sample is randomly drawn from a given population.
(b) when a population is randomly drawn from a given sample.
(c) when a sample is representative of the population it was drawn from.
(d) when a sample is not representative of the population it was drawn from.

Explanation:

To determine the correct definition of "bias" in Statistics, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Random sampling from a population is a method to avoid bias, not the definition of bias.
• Option B: Populations are not drawn from samples; samples are drawn from populations, so this is incorrect.
• Option C: A sample representative of the population is an unbiased sample, not the definition of bias.
• Option D: In Statistics, bias occurs when a sample does not accurately represent the population it was taken from, which matches the concept of sampling bias.

Answer:

D. When a sample is not representative of the population it was drawn from.