Week 4 discussion
The Importance of Relationships
As its name implies, confidence intervals provide a range of
values, along with a level of confidence, to serve as an estimate of some
unknown population value. Since it is rare to have access to the entire
population, you must frequently rely on the confidence interval of the sample
to make some inference about the population of interest. Before making accurate
inferences to the population, we need to fully understand how the three key
components of the interval—variability in the data, sample size, and confidence
level—impact the width of the interval.
For this Discussion, you will explore the relationship
between these components and understand the trade-off between reducing risk in
our confidence of estimates and increasing precision.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review Chapters 7 and 8 of the Frankfort-Nachmias &
Leon-Guerrero text and in Chapter 8, p. 256, consider the 2012 Benghazi
Terrorist Attack Investigation and focus on how different levels of confidence
and sample size work together.
Review Magnusson’s web blog found in the Learning Resources
to further your visualization and understanding of confidence intervals.
Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help found in this
week’s Learning Resources to search for a quantitative article related to
confidence intervals.
Using the SPSS software, General Social Survey dataset and
choose a quantitative variable that interests you.
By Day 3
Using SPSS:
Take a random sample of 100.
Calculate the 95% confidence interval for the variable.
Calculate a 90% confidence interval.
Take another random sample of 400.
Calculate the 95% confidence interval for the variable.
Calculate a 90% confidence interval.
Post your results and an explanation of how different levels
of confidence and sample size affect the width of the confidence interval.
Next, consider the statement, “Confidence intervals are underutilized” and
explain what the implications might be of using or not using confidence
intervals. Provide examples based on the results of your data. Also, use your
research to support your findings.
Be sure to support your Main Post and Response Post with
reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA
Style.
By Day 5
Respond to one of your colleague’s posts and explain how you
might see the implications differently.
Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for
entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.
