[Peace-discuss] The Power of Ten

[Laurie at advancenet.net]

This really amazing; it must be the nature of the group.  John asked a
simple question as to what percentage people on this list would have
predicted the right answer was (I am assuming that he meant "correct" in the
sense of the accepted answer by the show's producers based on their data and
not some empirically and analytically "correct" answer based of some
perfectly constructed rigorous scientific methodology and sampling
techniques of which there are no such examples even in science).  Yet people
on the list seem to want to make a big deal of the question discuss the
meaning and significance of the answer as well as if the show's answer is
politically correct, scientifically reliable, and empirically valid.

Such discussions may be good fun, academic and intellectual exercises in
argumentation, and/or social bonding and solidarity building mechanism; but
are these discussions really as serious as many appear to be taking them.
How many angels diod you say were on the head of that pin and are they our
angles or the oppositions?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:peace-discuss-
> bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Marti
> Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 7:28 AM
> To: 'John W.'; 'Peace-discuss'
> Subject: RE: [Peace-discuss] The Power of Ten
> 
> I would make a rotten contestant...simply because I would question the
> validity of the polls in question. What demographic is represented in
> the
> 'random' sample? There are many variables to consider here including
> the
> existence of leading questions, researcher bias, and the potential for
> flawed data.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
> [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of John W.
> Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 8:11 PM
> To: Peace-discuss
> Subject: [Peace-discuss] The Power of Ten
> 
> 
> I just finished watching a quiz show called "The Power of Ten", which
> follows "60 Minutes" on CBS.  Hosted by Drew Carey, the show requires
> the
> contestant to predict how a random sample of Americans answered a
> certain
> question.  The contestant's answer is given in terms of a range of
> percentages, and the correct answer must fall within that percentage
> range
> in order for the contestant to win.
> 
> A female contestant just lost at the $100,000 level.  The question was,
> "What percentage of Americans think that we should keep our troops in
> Iraq
> and finish what we started?"  What would you predict the correct answer
> was?  I'll supply the answer after a few people have hazarded a guess.
> 
> John Wason
> 
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