External Validity + Sampling Flashcards
One strength of random sampling is that it is likely to be representative.
E - Because the sampling is random, the researcher removes their own influence from who is sampled. By limiting the potential for bias, this technique can help ensure the collection of a representative sample.
A limitation of random sampling is the cost in time and money.
E - Putting together a full list of the target population will take time and this would make the research more expensive.
P - One strength of stratified sampling is that it is likely to lead to a representative sample.
E - The process of stratified sampling helps ensure that the sample is proportionally similar to the target population an important strata (e.g., age or gender). This means it produces a sample that is representative of the target population.
P - One limitation of stratified sampling is that it is time consuming and expensive
E - The process of identifying relevant strata, working out their proportions in the target population, and then going through the difficult process of randomly selecting participants from each of these strata can take a significant amount of time. This extra increase in time can be financially costly to the researcher.
One strength of systematic sampling is that it is representative.
E - The process of systematic sampling (e.g., picking every third name from the sampling frame) helps ensure the researcher has a very limited influence on who is in the sample. This reduces the likelihood of bias, thereby increasing the likelihood of a representative sample.
One limitation of systematic sampling is that it is time consuming and expensive.
E - The process of creating the sampling frame and then using a sampling process to select from it is much more time consuming then sampling techniques like opportunity and volunteer sampling. This extra increase in time can be financially costly to the researcher.
One strength of volunteer sampling is that it is relatively efficient in terms of time and financial cost .
E - Volunteer sampling involves minimal effort on the part of the researcher. All they need to do is place an advertisement and wait for people to respond . Compared to sampling techniques like stratified and random sampling, this is relatively quick. Because the process takes little time this can also save researchers money.
One limitation of volunteer sampling is that it can lead to an unrepresentative sample .
E - Since this sampling technique requires participants to volunteer , this can lead to volunteer bias volunteer bias. For example, people who volunteer may be more enthusiastic then typical members of the target population. Relying on volunteer sampling may lead to a sample that is more representative of the type of people who normally volunteer than the overall target population.
P - One limitation of opportunity sampling is that it can lead to an unrepresentative sample.
E - Since the process of opportunity sampling requires the researcher to approach participants , this can lead to researcher bias. For example, the researcher might pick 10 people on the basis that they seem the most approachable . This can lead to a sample that is more representative of the type of people the researcher wishes two approach rather than representative of the overall target population .
One strength of opportunity sampling is that it is relatively efficient in terms of time and financial cost.
E - The process of opportunity sampling is perhaps the easiest of all the sampling techniques. All the researcher is required to do is ask people who are easily available if they would like to participate. Because the process takes little time this can also save researchers money.
