Sampling Flashcards
What is the Survey/Sampling Population?
All of the people.
What is the Sampling Frame?
A list of all the people in the survey population.
What is the Sampling Technique?
The way the sociologist picks their sample.
What is a Sample?
The smaller representative group of participants the sociologists will research.
What is a Sampling Unit?
One participant from the sample.
What is Sample Attrition?
The number of participants who drop out of the research.
What does representative mean?
A selection of a sample population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population.
What is generalisability?
The degree to which you can apply the results of your study results to a broader context.
Random Sampling (representative):
People are chosen without a system from a list of names.
Evaluation = Best type of sampling (equal chance of being picked), but relies on chance that the sample is representative.
Systematic Random Sample (representative):
Names are selected from a sampling frame at regular intervals.
Evaluation = Relies on chance to be representative, a quicker technique.
Stratified Sampling (representative):
Where the researcher splits the group based on characteristics, then selecting a proportional sample from each category = ensures proportional representation of the sample population.
Evaluation = Sample more likely to reflect characteristics of survey population (more representative). BUT characteristics may not be visible just from looking at the sampling frame.
Quota Sampling (representative):
Interviewers find people to fill pre-set categories.
Evaluation = Need to know the proportions of different groups in the population in order to set initial quotas, not everyone has an equal chance of being chosen. Time-consuming, but quick and easy.
Cluster Sampling (representative):
A sample is selected and then a smaller sample is chosen from that sample.
Evaluation = more accessible but if the first sample is not representative, the next samples may be inaccurate.
Snowball Sampling (non-representative):
Researcher finds one suitable person and then that person introduces the researcher to other contacts.
Evaluation = difficult to ensure it is representative, may only get a particular type of respondent depending on who the first person knows, but easier to access difficult groups.
Volunteer Sampling (non-representative):
The research is advertised and participants put themselves forward.
Evaluation = difficult to ensure it’s representative, volunteers may have a particular reason for volunteering, but saves a lot of time.
