Methodology: Sampling

Question 1

What is sampling?

Answer 1

A method used to gather participants for research.

Question 2

Define a ‘sample’?

Answer 2

A group of people who are selected to represent the wider population.

Question 3

Define a ‘representative sample’.

Answer 3

One that closely matches the population being studied in as many ways as possible.

Question 4

Define ‘population’.

Answer 4

The total number of people in a particular group/area.

Question 5

Define ‘target population’.

Answer 5

The group of people from which a sample is drawn to represent them in as many ways as possible.

Question 6

What is the overall aim of a sampling technique?

Answer 6

To choose people who are representative of the population being studied.

Question 7

List the 4 different types of sampling techniques.

Answer 7

1) Opportunity
2) Volunteer
3) Random
4) Stratified

Question 8

Define an ‘opportunity sample’.

Answer 8

Members of the target population that fit the desired criteria that happen to be available at the time of research.

Question 9

When are opportunity samples most frequently used?

Answer 9

In a natural experiment or naturalistic observation.

Question 10

Give an example of an opportunity sample in social psychology.

Answer 10

Using the first 20 students who walk into a cafeteria to fill out a questionnaire.

Question 11

Give 1 strength of opportunity sampling.

Answer 11

1) Quick, easy, and cheap to gain a sample due to using whatever is available at the time and so wouldn’t spend money on other methods

Question 12

Give 2 weaknesses of opportunity sampling.

Answer 12

1) Low generalisability - due to having a biased sample of people being in the same place at same time sharing traits and so wouldn’t represent the whole population
2) Low validity - experimenter bias may lead researcher to choose a sample that is similar to them in regards to culture

Question 13

Define a ‘volunteer sample’.

Answer 13

A group of people who put themselves forward to take part in research in response to advertisements.

Question 14

When are volunteer samples most frequently used?

Answer 14

When conducting lab experiments.

Question 15

Give an example of a volunteer sample in social psychology.

Answer 15

Milgram’s (1963) ppts who responded to an advertisement about a study to do with memory.

Question 16

Give 2 strengths of volunteer sampling.

Answer 16

1) High ethics - those who decide to put themselves forward for research have given informed consent
2) Quick and easy to do as researcher doesn’t have to go out and recruit ppts themselves therefore saves time and money and so is more effective

Question 17

Give 1 weakness of volunteer sampling.

Answer 17

1) Low generalisability - people who sign up to take part share similar traits to others in the sample and so are unrepresentative of the wider population

Question 18

Define a ‘random sample’.

Answer 18

A technique in which every member of the target population has an equal chance of being chosen and involves every member of the target population being identified to be included.

Question 19

Give an example of a random sample in social psychology.

Answer 19

Putting everyone’s names into a random name generator and choosing them the take part in the study.

Question 20

Give 1 strength of random sampling.

Answer 20

1) High validity - everyone has an equal chance of being chosen and so sample isn’t bias due to not one type of person being more likely to get chosen

Question 21

Give 2 weaknesses of random sampling.

Answer 21

1) Low generalisability - the sample can become unrepresentative if a disproportionate amount of girls are randomly selected
2) Time consuming to gain all the names of a target population to take a random sample from and so is less efficient compared to others

Question 22

Define a ‘stratified sample’.

Answer 22

Randomly selecting a set number of people from separate categories (strata) of a target population.

Question 23

Give an example of a stratified sample in social psychology.

Answer 23

Wanting to equally represent males and females in a study of human behaviour focused on obedience.

Question 24

Give 2 strengths of stratified sampling.

Answer 24

1) High validity - everyone within the separate strati has an an equal chance of being selected which therefore removes bias of one type of person being more likely to get chosen
2) High generalisability - the strata used will be equally representative of the target population

Question 25

Give 2 weaknesses of stratified sampling.

Answer 25

1) Low validity - there may be bias in trying to represent what the researcher thinks are key characteristics of the population leading to subjectivity
2) The most time consuming sampling method due to gaining all the names of the target population then categorising what is to be represented then randomly selecting from each strata