American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

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What does selection bias refer to?

A type of survey error due to refusals
A polling error where opinions are misrepresented
A comparison error in treatment groups
A misclassification of individuals in data

The correct answer is: A polling error where opinions are misrepresented

Selection bias occurs when certain individuals or groups are more or less likely to be included in a study or sample than others, resulting in a sample that is not representative of the larger population. This can distort the findings and lead to conclusions that do not accurately reflect reality. For instance, if a study on public opinion only surveys people who are online, it may miss out on perspectives from those who are not, leading to skewed results. The notion of selection bias ties heavily into the idea of misrepresentation of opinions, which aligns well with the reasoning behind the answer. If the sample from which opinions are drawn is biased—favoring certain demographics or viewpoints—the results will inherently misrepresent the true sentiments of the entire population. Therefore, the answer capturing this error reflects the core concept of selection bias in the context of polling and opinion research.