Final Answer:
Ed is collecting data on a student's latency to initiate work when instructed to do so by his teacher, but the student's goal is to increase duration of work. His data is not Representative .The correct answer is B. Representative.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ed's data is not representative of the student's goal to increase the duration of work. Representativeness in data collection is crucial to ensure that the collected information accurately reflects the broader population or, in this case, the student's behavior. In Ed's case, accuracy (option A) may not be compromised, as the collected data could be precise, but if it is not representative of the student's overall behavior, the insights gained may not be applicable to the student's goal.
In behavioral studies, representativeness is key to making generalizations and drawing meaningful conclusions. If Ed only collects data on the latency to initiate work without considering other factors influencing the duration of work, such as the student's motivation, environmental factors, or task difficulty, the data may not provide a comprehensive understanding of the student's behavior. Therefore, Ed needs to ensure that his data collection methods capture a diverse range of situations and factors that influence the duration of the student's work, making the data representative of the student's overall goal.
To illustrate, if Ed only measures latency in scenarios where the task is relatively easy and the student is highly motivated, the data may inaccurately suggest a lower latency and not reflect the challenges the student faces in less favorable conditions. By ensuring representativeness in data collection, Ed can gather information that truly reflects the student's performance across various conditions, contributing to a more comprehensive and valid analysis.