Industry v. Academia

Lots of people have asked why I'm going into academia instead of just going to work in industry. There are lots of reasons (and I reserve the right to change my mind), but this summarizes some of the reasons:

Lighter fare

Happy November, everyone.

How pumpkin pie is really made:






















Sorry for my lack of posting lately. I'm in the middle of exams, projects, and post-doc research. I also have an exam coming up that I have to pass to get my masters - comprehensive of five courses. Wish me luck!

Tsk Tsk Tsk

aka I am Supremely Disappointed.

I am a registered Republican, though I always vote for a candidate and not necessarily along party lines. Recently, I received a survey (technically, two surveys, after I didn't complete the first one I received) from the RNC titled "2009 Obama Agenda Survey."

I am absolutely heartbroken and disappointed in the party I have historically identified with.

Throughout my PhD training and continuing into my post-doctoral research, my work has focused on behavioral research (i.e., what people think and do) and specifically on the use of surveys in answering those questions. Whenever one does survey-based research, there are a few issues you always have to keep in mind. Some of these* are:

• Common-method bias (i.e., are the results skewed because I only have data from surveys?),
  
• Response rate bias (i.e., are the responses I received representative of the sample? Do certain people answer surveys while certain other people ignore surveys?), and
  
• Framing bias (i.e., is the question written in such a way that I get the respondent's true opinion?). My biggest concern (and flashing red lights) are about this bias.
  

The RNC's survey is - at best - completely loaded. How? Through the loaded wording of their survey questions. An example of framing bias can be seen in the classical example here of the use of "allow" or "forbid" when writing a survey question:

• Do you think the US should allow public speeches against democracy?
• Do you think the US should forbid public speeches against democracy?

Although these two questions appear to ask the same thing, but in two directions, a study by Rugg in 1941 showed that when people read these questions, they have very different responses. When people read the word allow, 62% of them said speeches against democracy should not be allowed. When people read the word forbid (a word that rubs us wrong and goes against what we hold dear in the First Amendment), only 46% said those speeches shouldn't be allowed. Furthermore, another 20% of people said they would "not allow" speeches against democracy, but would not "forbid" them. In 1981, another study (Schuman and Presser) repeated Rugg's experiment three times - and found the same results.

Blah blah blah... So what? This is background, so any of you still reading can see some of the problems in the survey I received. Basically, the RNC has worded their questions to get the answers they want to get. And it makes me sick to my stomach. Here is the survey in its entirety:

INSTRUCTIONS: Please carefully read each question, then indicate the answer you feel most appropriate by checking the corresponding box, sign this document and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided along with your contribution.

To ensure that this Registered Survey is properly accounted for, we ask that you sign and return this document regardless of whether or not you answer every question. Thank you.

Questionnaire [all questions have options: Yes, No, No opinion]

1. Do you agree with Barack Obama's budget plan that will lead to a $23.1 trillion national debt over the next ten years?
   
2. Do you believe the federal government has gone too far in bailing out failing banks, insurance companies and the auto industry?
3. Do you support amnesty for illegal immigrants?
4. Should English be the official language of the United States?
5. Are you in favor of granting retroactive Social Security eligibility to illegal immigrants who gain US citizenship through an amnesty program?
6. Are you in favor of the expanded welfare benefits and unlimited eligibility (no time, education or work requirements) that Democrats in Congress are pushing ot pass?
7. Do you believe that Barack Obama's nominees for federal courts should be immediately and unquestionably approved for their lifetime appointments by the US Senate?
8. Do you believe that the best way to increase the quality and effectiveness of public education in the US is to rapidly expand federal funding while eliminating performance standards and accountability?
9. Do you support the creation of a national health insurance plan that would be administered by bureaucrats in Washington, DC?
10. Do you believe that the quality and availability of healthcare will increase if the federal government dictates pricing to doctors and hospitals?
11. Are you confident that new medicines and medical treatments will continue to be developed if the federal government controls prescription drug prices adn sets profit margins for research and pharmaceutical companies?
12. Are you in favor of creating a government-funded "Citizen Volunteer Corps" that would pay young people to do work now done by churches and charities, earning Corps members the same pay and benefits given to military veterans?
13. Are you in favor of reinstituting the military draft, as Democrats in Congress have proposed?
14. Do you believe that the federal government should allow the unionization of Department of Homeland Security employees who serve in positions critical to the safety and security of our nation?
15. Do you support Democrats' drive to eliminate workers' right to a private ballot when considering unionization of their place of employment?
    

Ya know... I get a lot of grief when people hear I do survey research. People always say my results can't be reliable because asking people is never a straightforward process, and who knows if they're actually telling the truth, etc. So it really sucks for those of us who follow research guidelines and double- and triple-check our questions (in wording, order, etc) to make sure our surveys are fair - only to have somebody else manipulate a survey. Do you know what would be really interesting? See what people's legitimate answers are - and see if they still line up with what the RNC is hoping they say. I've contacted the RNC, asking to talk to someone about the survey, but I still haven't heard back.

To console myself, I decided all political parties must do the same thing. Until Xavier, a registered Democrat, received a survey from the DNC. I snatched it from his hands all ready to mark it up with my red pen. But it was fair: no leading questions, no loaded words.

I may not be a Democrat, but I sure as hell don't plan on identifying as a Republican if they keep cheating like this.

*There are lots of other issues to deal with, but these are a few examples.
**Examples taken from The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making, by Scott Plous