Research Methods- Selecting and Using Participants

Question 1

What is the target group?

Answer 1

The part of the population you’re interested in

Question 2

Why should a sample be representative?

Answer 2

So that results can be generalised to wider population

Question 3

What is random sampling?

Answer 3

Every member of the target group has an equal chance of being selected for the sample

Question 4

What is the advantage of random sampling?

Answer 4

Sample is likely to be representative

Question 5

What is the disadvantage of random sampling?

Answer 5

Doesn’t guarantee a representative sample

Question 6

What is opportunity sampling?

Answer 6

When the researcher samples whoever is available and willing to be studied

Question 7

What is the advantage of opportunity sampling?

Answer 7

Quick and practical

Question 8

What is the disadvantage of opportunity sampling?

Answer 8

Unlikely to be representative

Question 9

What is volunteer sampling?

Answer 9

When people actively volunteer to be part of a study

Question 10

What is the advantage of volunteer sampling?

Answer 10

Large number of respondents so more in-depth analysis

Question 11

What is the disadvantage of volunteer sampling?

Answer 11

Unlikely to be representative of the target population

Question 12

What is systematic sampling?

Answer 12

Where every nth name from a sampling frame is taken

Question 13

What is the advantage of systematic sampling?

Answer 13

Simple and effective, representative

Question 14

What is the disadvantage of systematic sampling?

Answer 14

Subgroups might be missed

Question 15

What is stratified sampling?

Answer 15

All important subgroups in the population is randomly obtained

Question 16

What is the advantage of stratified sampling?

Answer 16

Fairly representative

Question 17

What is the disadvantage of stratified sampling?

Answer 17

Lot of time and money

Question 18

What is the Hawthorne effect?

Answer 18

People show a different response if they are interested in something or interested in attention they are getting

Question 19

What is the effect of the Hawthorne effect?

Answer 19

Mean results are often artificially high so makes conclusions invalid

Question 20

What are demand characteristics?

Answer 20

Participants guess aims of the study and change behaviour

Question 21

What is a social desirability bias?

Answer 21

People try to show themselves in the best light

Question 22

What is a researcher or experimenter bias?

Answer 22

Researchers expectations can influence the design of their study and how they behave towards participants

Question 23

What are investigator effects?

Answer 23

Anything the researcher does to affect how the participant behaves