Stats Year 1 Flashcards
What are the 5 things that must be in a hypothesis testing
- Null hypothesis
- Alternative hypothesis
- Test statistic
Define the significance level
The probability of incorrectly rejecting the null hypothesis
Define a population
The whole set of items that are of interest
Define census
Observes or measures every member of a population
Define sample
A selection of observations taken from a subset of the population which is used to find out information about the population as a whole
Define sampling units
Individual units of a population
What is a sampling frame
Sampling units of a population that are individually named or numbered to form a list
What is an advantage of a census
It should give a completely accurate result
What are the 3 disadvantages of a census
- Time consuming and expensive
- Cannot be used when the testing process destroys the item
- Hard to process large quantity of data
What are the 3 advantages of using a sample
- Less time consuming and expensive than a census
- Fewer people have to respond
- Less data to process than in a census
What are the 2 disadvantages of using a sample
- The data may not be as accurate
- The sample may not be large enough to give information about small sub-groups of the population
What is a simple random sample
Where every sample has an equal chance of being selected
How do you carry out a simple random sample
- Allocate each person or thing in the sampling frame a unique number
- Random number generate
What is systematic sampling
Required elements are chosen at regular intervals from an ordered list e.g. every 5 numbers are selected
What is stratified sampling
The population is divided into mutually exclusive strata (males and females for example) and a random sample is taken from each
What is the equation to calculate how many people/things should be involved in the sample per strata in stratified sampling
Number in stratum/ number in population then x by overall sample size
What are the 3 advantages of simple random sampling
- Free of bias
- Easy and cheap to implement for small populations and small samples
- Each sampling unit has a known and equal chance of selection
What are the 2 disadvantages of simple random sampling
- Not suitable when the population size or the sample size is large n
- A sampling frame is needed
What are the 2 advantages of systematic sampling
- Simple and quick to use
- Suitable for large samples and large populations
What are the 2 disadvantages of systematic sampling
- A sampling frame is needed
- It can introduce bias if the sampling frame is not random
What are the 2 advantages of stratified sampling
- Sample accurately reflects the population structure
- Guarantees proportional representation of groups within a population
What are the 2 disadvantages of stratified sampling
- Population must be clearly classified into distinct strata
- Selection within each stratum suffers from the same disadvantages as simple random sampling
What is quota sampling
An interviewer or researcher selects a sample that reflects the characteristics of the whole population
What is opportunity sampling
Consists of taking the sample from people who are available at the time the study is carried out and who fit the criteria you are looking for
What are the 4 advantages of quota sampling
- Allows a small sample to still be representative of the population
- No sampling frame required
- Quick, easy and inexpensive
- Allows for easy comparison between different groups within a population
What are the 4 disadvantages of quota sampling
- Non-random sampling can introduce bias
- Population must be divided into groups, which can be costly or inaccurate
- Increasing scope of study increases number of groups, which adds time and expense
- Non-responses are no recorded as such