Sampling methods

Question 1

Self selecting
Advantages?
Disadvantages? (3)

Answer 1

Advantages
As participants volunteered it is ethical and more likely to participate in the actual study

Disadvantages
As participants volunteered there is a bias as participants may be more extroverted.
The cost of advertising
time consuming process

Question 2

Opportunity sampling
Who are the participants? those who are (3)
Advantages? what 2 things are not needed?
Disadvantages? How is it less ethical? how is there a bias?

Answer 2

Opportunity sampling = those who are readily available at a given time and place
Quick to gather participants
Easy process as no advertising or selection is needed

Disadvantages
Bias- who is available at that time and place
less ethical as participants may not want to participate but they feel as though they need to

Question 3

Random sampling
How are participants chosen?
Advantages? (2) What should the sample be? What is the benefit of not having someone to do the selection process?
Disadvantages? database? how could there still be a bias?

Answer 3

Each member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected e.g. name drawn out hat

Advantages
Should be representative of target population
No human bias

Disadvantages
time consuming to log every name from the target population into a database
There could still be a bias as those who are chosen may not want to participate and therefore will need to be replaced with someone who does

Question 4

snowball sampling
How are participants recruited?
Advantages?
Disadvantages

Answer 4

When participants are asked to contact their friends and family to also take part

Advantages
Easy to recruit participants as participants recruit other participants
No advertising needed
Good way to assess groups e.g. subcultures

Disadvantages
There may be a bias as friends of participants may have similar characteristics to each other
Only a small number of participants may be gathered