Research methods- Sampling

Question 1

What are the 5 types of sampling?

Answer 1

-Stratified
-Random
-Systematic
-Volunteering
-Opportunity
(from most representative to least representative)

Question 2

What is an opportunity sample?

Answer 2

-Sample is already there.
-e.g. students in a school.

Question 3

Strength (O)

Answer 3

Quick and easy
-Make use of people closest
-Cheaper
-Less time-consuming

Question 4

Limitation (O)

Answer 4

Unrepresentative/ lacks generalisation
-Drawn for one area
-So data cannot be generalised
-Lacking external validity

Question 5

What is a Volunteering sample?

Answer 5

-Participants volunteer to take part.
-e.g. Milgram.

Question 6

Strength (V)

Answer 6

Easy
-Requires minimal input from the researcher
-Less time-consuming/ effort to find participants
-Participants select themselves

Question 7

Limitation (V)

Answer 7

Volunteer bias
-May attract certain profile of person, then may affect generalisation
-Responds to cues
Demand characteristics
-Reduces validity if know aims from the advert, so may act unnaturally

Question 8

What is a Systematic sample?

Answer 8

-Use a system to choose participants.
-e.g. names into hat/ generator= every 5th person.

Question 9

Strength (Sy)

Answer 9

Unbiased selection
-Avoids researcher bias/ Researcher no influence
-First item usually selected at random
-Objective

Question 10

Limitation (Sy)

Answer 10

Only possible if whole target population can be identified
-Time/effort
-Complete list of target population is required
-May as well use random sampling

Question 11

What is a Random sample?

Answer 11

-Putting names into a hat.
-e.g. all psychology students, first 20 make the sample- equal chance of being selected.

Question 12

Strength (R)

Answer 12

Unbiased selection
-CVs/EVs are controlled
-Enhances internal validity
-Stops researcher bias as they have no control over who is selected so they cannot pick people who will follow their hypothesis

Question 13

Limitation (R)

Answer 13

Impractical
-Time-consuming
-A complete list of TP is difficult to obtain
May not be representative
-Possibly could select all female participants for the sample

Question 14

What is a Stratified sample?

Answer 14

-Work out % of people (subgroups) that make up population, get Strata from them, use random afterwards.
-e.g. how many men/women, work out percentage over 100.

Question 15

Strength (St)

Answer 15

Unbiased/ Representative
-Avoids researcher bias
-Once subdivided, random selection occur
-Designed to reflect target population
-Can generalise
-High external validity

Question 16

Limitation (St)

Answer 16

Time-consuming
-Knowledge of population characteristics is required
-Need to identify/ recruit people from each subgroup
Stratification not perfect
-Cannot reflect all the ways people are different
-Cannot represent all fully