Sample and Sampling Flashcards
Research methods
Define sample.
Who takes part in the research and usually referred to as participants.
Define sampling.
The process/ technique used to recruit participants from the population.
Define target population.
The group of people psychologists want to be able to generalise their findings to.
Define ethnocentrism.
When the sample are of one ethnicity or from one place.
Define higher cognitive ability.
Gifted academically or a specialist in that field of knowledge.
Define random sampling.
When everyone in the sample has an equal chance of being chosen.
Give an example of random sampling.
Putting everyone’s names in a hat and choosing a specific amount of names randomly.
What are the strengths of random sampling?
It is the most unbiased sampling technique.
What are the weaknesses of random sampling?
- Could accidentally lack diversity.
- Time consuming.
- Some randomly selected participants may not want to participate.
Define androcentric.
Male dominant sample.
Define gynocentric.
Female dominant sample.
Give a phrase that means the ages are spread out across the sample.
Wide age bracket.
Define opportunity sampling.
Selecting people that are readily available at the time.
Give an example of opportunity sampling.
Going up to people in your school to ask them to participate in your study.
What are the strengths of opportunity sampling?
- It’s quick, easy and economical.
What are the weaknesses of opportunity sampling?
- The researcher may show bias with who they go up to.
- The people readily available may not be diverse.
Define self-selecting/ volunteer sampling.
When participants volunteer themselves to participate in the research.
Give an example of volunteer sampling.
The researcher puts an advert on a notice board with an email address and people send an email if they’re interested.
What are the strengths of volunteer sampling?
- The participants are less likely to withdraw as they were willing to participate.
What are the weaknesses of volunteer sampling?
- Time consuming to wait for enough volunteers.
- Sample may lack diversity.
Define snowball sampling.
When participants recruit other participants for a study.
Give an example of snowball sampling.
Asking a participant to ask other people they know (that fit the criteria) to participate in the study that they are in.
What are the strengths of snowball sampling?
- Useful when researching niche target populations.
- Useful when struggling to recruit people for the study.
What are the weaknesses of snowball sampling?
- Sample is likely to be unrepresentative as they all know each other.
