What is the purpose of conducting a sensitivity analysis when dealing with outliers?

• A. To remove outliers from data.
• B. To recode all data into categories.
• C. To check robustness under different assumptions.
• D. To assess how results change with and without outliers.

Answer: (D)

Sensitivity analysis asks how results hold up when you alter the data or the assumptions of the analysis. When outliers are present, they can disproportionately affect estimates and conclusions. By comparing results with and without those outliers, you can see whether the main findings stay consistent, which is exactly what this analysis aims to reveal. Removing outliers is a data-cleaning step, not the analysis itself, and recoding data or changing the approach more broadly can affect results in ways unrelated to the specific impact of outliers. So the goal is to assess how results change with and without outliers.