An aviation safety researcher is investigating the relationship between continuous radar-monitoring duration and subsequent tracking accuracy on an interactive air traffic control simulator.
As part of her research, she conducted a pilot study using eight candidates who were matched for basic spatial reasoning. Each participant was assigned a designation from P1 P_1\,P1 to P8P_8P8. This determined the duration of continuous monitoring they completed and the subsequent recovery time they were allowed before their simulator test. The combinations are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: The continuous monitoring duration and subsequent recovery time for each participant (P1P_1P1 – P8P_8P8)
| P1P_1P1 | P2P_2P2 | P3P_3P3 | P4P_4P4 | P5P_5P5 | P6P_6P6 | P7P_7P7 | P8P_8P8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous monitoring (hours) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Recovery time allowed (minutes) | 60 | 50 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
The sample used in this pilot study was an opportunity sample consisting of trainee controllers present at a single training facility on a specific weekday afternoon.
Briefly explain how using a stratified sample when the final study is conducted might be an improvement to the design.
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