Question

Tara was collecting data about rainfall by measuring water levels in a bucket in her yard. She saw her dog drinking from the bucket. This is an example of:

- A) Personal bias
- B) Data collection
- C) Experimental bias
- D) Cultural bias

Answer 1

Tara witnessing her dog drinking from the bucket represents an example of experimental bias. This bias can lead to incorrect conclusions in her rainfall measurement by altering the data collection process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question refers to an incident where a student, Tara, is collecting data about rainfall by measuring water levels in a bucket placed in her yard and notices her dog drinking from the bucket. This potentially impacts the accuracy of her measurements and represents an example of experimental bias.

Experimental bias refers to any factors that may lead to incorrect conclusions in an experiment by influencing the data collection process. In this case, the dog drinking from the bucket alters the water level, which negatively affects the reliability of the data Tara is gathering. It's crucial in scientific methodologies to ensure that the data collected is free from contamination or interference as it could lead to incorrect generalizations or models formulated from the data.