Question

Consider the following argument: Most people are fed up with celebrities talking politics. Every time I see an ordinary person interviewed on TV about this — and I've seen at least a dozen — they always say they are angry about it and they wish celebrities would keep their political opinions to themselves. Using the framework of the strength test, explain why this argument is weak. Be sure to make reference to sample size and response bias in your explanation.

Answer 1

Check below for the answers and explanations.

Explanation:

The number of samples or observations used in an experiment is the sample size.

The speaker here claims that he has seen at least a dozen people interviewed on TV who are fed up with celebrities giving political opinions. This means that his sample size is 12.

A sample size of twelve compared to the population of a country is not sufficient to arrive at a valid conclusion.

Response bias is the tendency of respondents to give accurate information to interviews or research questions.

The speaker cannot guarantee that the few people he has seen on the TV gave an accurate information about their feelings towards the attitudes of celebrities to politics.

For these reasons, this argument fails the strength test and is weak.