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Politics : The Obama - Clinton Disaster -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GROUND ZERO™ who wrote (29374)	4/16/2010 1:00:17 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 103300

Re: "pharmaceutical companies do use control groups and they're typically given a placebo..." Correct. (Except for the one point that I made, which is an exception to that: "since it is considered unethical to withhold useful medications once there is clear evidence of utility." Possibly my typo obscured the point....) Re: "the scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses" Ah but that is not what polling is. It is NOT 'testing an hypothesis', it is merely SAMPLING DATA. ("Observing", to use your choice of words.) But using well-established mathematical and statistical principles to ensure that the sampling (within specified ranges) accurately represents the larger whole. It's the laws of mathematics which I am calling a science --- not any "control group" for, as we have both noted, there is no control group in polling as there is no attempt to introduce an independent variable and then measure the change that is produced..... Re: "And to use proper experimental design in your poll, you would have to be sure the questions are not worded to bias a particular response, the people being asked have to be so varied based on background, ethnicity, education, and so on in order to attempt fairness and accuracy..." Correct. The sample must accurately reflect the larger population about which one is attempting to measure opinions and attitudes.