Deck 5: Selecting Research Participants

Question 1

Typically,researchers plan to generalize their results to the entire group of individuals defined by their specific interests.This entire group is called

A)the accessible population.
B)the target population.
C)the representative population.
D) the real population.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A researcher is interested in the television viewing preferences for of adolescent boys and selects a group of 25 boys to participate in a research study.The group of 25 boys is a ______.

A)sample
B)statistic
C)population
D)parameter

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following accurately describes accessible populations and target populations?

A)The target population is contained within the accessible population.
B)The target population is also known as the population.
C)The accessible population is also known as the population.
D)All of the other options are accurate.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A systematic sample does not qualify as a true random sample because

A)the first individual selected is not determined by a random process.
B)the selections are not independent of each other.
C)it does not use sampling with replacement.
D)all of the other choices are correct.

Question 5

A major goal of research is to ______________ from a small group of participants included in a study to the larger group from which they came.

A)deduce
B)generalize
C)specialize
D)reason

Question 6

A method for random sampling is

A)sampling with replacement.
B)sampling without replacement.
C)sampling with replacement and sampling without replacement.
D)Neither sampling with nor without replacement is a method of random sampling.

Question 7

The major advantage of a simple random sample is that

A) it ensures that there will be enough participants in each subset of the population to be able to make statistical decisions concerning the subset.
B)it ensures that no single group is over-represented in the sample.
C)it ensures that the sample will provide an accurate representation of the population.
D)it ensures that the selection procedure is unbiased although the outcome may be biased.

Question 8

Dr.Near conducts an experiment on memory using participants above the age of 65.All people above the age of 65 would make up the

A)sample.
B)world.
C)population.
D)subgroup.

Question 9

The group of individuals from which researchers actually select participants for research studies is called

A)the accessible population.
B)the target population.
C)the representative population.
D) the real population.

Question 10

In most research situations,the researcher does not have a list of all the individuals in the population and,therefore,must use ___________ sampling.

A)simple random
B)probability
C)nonprobability
D)systematic

Question 11

Although a research question usually concerns the _________ the actual research participants are selected from the _________.

A)target population,accessible population
B)accessible population,target population
C)target population,sample
D)accessible population,sample

Question 12

What kind of sampling technique requires that you can get a list of all the individuals in the population?

A)quota sampling
B)convenience sampling
C)probability sampling
D)nonprobability sampling

Question 13

Dr.Near conducts an experiment on memory using participants above the age of 65.Because she cannot include all people above the age of 65,she selects a

A)sample.
B)world.
C)population.
D)subgroup.

Question 14

A professor teaching an introductory psychology class of 200 obtains a sample of 25 students by selecting every 8?? name from the class list.The professor is using

A)simple random sampling.
B)convenience sampling.
C)proportionate stratified random sampling.
D) systematic sampling.

Question 15

If each person in a large group has an equal chance of being included in an experiment,then the researcher is using

A)systematic sampling.
B)random sampling.
C)convenience sampling.
D)cluster sampling.

Question 16

When a sample has the same characteristics as the target population,the sample is said to be a(n)_______.

A)representative sample
B)biased sample
C)target sample
D)accessible sample

Question 17

A random process

A)produces one outcome from a set of possible outcomes.
B)produces an unpredictable outcome.
C)guarantees that each of the possible outcomes is equally likely.
D)the other three choices are all characteristics of a random process.

Question 18

Which of the following is not required for a simple random sample from a population of 20 individuals?

A)Each individual in the population has a 1/20 probability of being selected.
B)The selection of one individual is independent of the selection of any other individual.
C)After 20 selections,each individual must have been selected exactly one time.
D)The individual obtained on any specific selection must be unpredictable.

Question 19

If the individuals in a sample have characteristics that are noticeably different from the individuals in the population,then the sample is said to be

A)representative.
B)random.
C)stratified.
D)biased.

Question 20

A class consists of 20 girls and 12 boys.The names of all the students in a class are listed on separate pieces of paper.The teacher places all the boys' names in one hat,all the girls' names in another hat and mixes them thoroughly before reaching in to draw out five names from each hat.The teacher is using

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)proportionate stratified random sampling.
D)cluster sampling.

Question 21

A sample consists of 25 freshmen,25 sophomores,25 juniors,and 25 seniors from a local high school.If the sample was obtained using a list of all the students in the high school,it is probably an example of ___________.If the sample was obtained without a list of students,it is probably an example of ___________.

A)simple random sampling,cluster sampling
B)stratified random sampling,quota sampling
C)proportionate stratified random sampling,quota sampling
D)systematic sampling,convenience sampling

Question 22

A cluster sample usually does not qualify as a true random sample because

A)the individual groups selected are not determined by a random process.
B)the selections are not independent of each other.
C)the individuals within each group are usually not independent.
D)all of the other choices are correct.

Question 23

A researcher wants to obtain a sample of 30 preschool children consisting of 10 two-year-old children,10 three-year-old,and 10 four-year-old children.Assuming that the children are obtained from local daycare centers,this researcher should use

A)cluster sampling.
B)quota sampling.
C)simple random sampling.
D)stratified random sampling.

Question 24

The primary advantage of a stratified random sample is that

A) it ensures that there will be enough participants in each group to be able to make statistical decisions concerning the group.
B)it provides a sample that is guaranteed to be representative of the population.
C)it ensures that no single group is over-represented in the sample.
D)the other three choices are all advantages of a stratified random sample.

Question 25

The most commonly used sampling method in psychological research is probably

A)cluster sampling.
B)quota sampling.
C)simple random sampling.
D)convenience sampling.

Question 26

The workers in a factory are organized into 5-person teams.When conducting a work-environment survey,a researcher randomly selected 10 teams to obtain a total sample of 50 workers.The researcher used

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)proportionate stratified random sampling.
D)cluster sampling.

Question 27

A researcher would like to describe and compare the attitudes of four different ethnic groups of students at a local state college.To obtain participants for the study,the researcher should probably use _____.

A)simple random sampling
B)stratified random sampling
C)proportionate stratified random sampling
D) systematic sampling

Question 28

One criticism of a stratified random sample is

A)it is not based on a random selection process.
B)the overall composition of the sample is often not representative of the overall composition of the population.
C)some segments of the population will not be represented in the sample.
D)all of the other choices are criticisms of a stratified random sample.

Question 29

A researcher would like to select a sample of 50 people so that five different age groups are equally represented in the sample.Assuming that the researcher does not know the entire list of people in the population,which sampling technique should be used?

A)quota sampling
B)stratified random sampling
C)proportionate stratified random sampling
D)cluster sampling

Question 30

A researcher obtains a sample of 50 research participants by asking for volunteers from an introductory psychology class.What kind of sampling is the researcher using?

A)cluster sampling
B)quota sampling
C)simple random sampling
D)convenience sampling

Question 31

A researcher asks students to sign up for a research study and then selects the first 15 males and 15 females who sign up.The researcher is using

A)cluster sampling.
B)quota sampling.
C)simple random sampling.
D)convenience sampling.

Question 32

What kind of sampling is used by a researcher who obtains a sample of preschool children by selecting individuals from a local daycare center?

A)simple random sampling
B)cluster sampling
C)probability sampling
D)nonprobability sampling

Question 33

The technique of quota sampling is most similar to

A)simple random sampling.
B)stratified random sampling.
C)cluster sampling.
D)systematic sampling.

Question 34

A teacher obtains a sample of children from a 5?? grade classroom by randomly selecting the 3??,5??,and 8?? rows and taking all the students in those rows.This is an example of

A)simple random sampling.
B)systematic sampling.
C)cluster sampling.
D)stratified sampling.

Question 35

The accessible population is a subset of the target population.

Question 36

Which of the following sampling techniques is most likely to result in a biased sample?

A)simple random sampling
B)convenience sampling
C)proportionate stratified random sampling
D) systematic sampling

Question 37

If your primary concern is that the composition of your sample should accurately reflect the composition of the population,then you should use

A)parametric sampling.
B)cluster sampling.
C)stratified sampling.
D)proportionate stratified sampling.

Question 38

One criticism of proportionate stratified random sampling is

A)some segments of the population will be over-represented in the sample.
B)some segments of the population will not have enough representatives in the sample to be able to make statistical decisions.
C)the overall composition of the sample is usually not representative of the overall composition of the population.
D)all of the other choices are criticisms of a proportionate stratified random sample.

Question 39

A researcher would like to examine the political attitudes for students at a local university.The researcher will evaluate a sample of 200 students but would like to be sure that the ages and genders of individuals in the sample accurately represent the ages and genders for the entire student body at the university.What would be the best sampling method for the researcher to use?

A)simple random sampling
B)stratified random sampling
C)proportionate stratified random sampling
D) systematic sampling

Question 40

Psychology majors at the state college consist of 40 percent males and 60 percent females.The psychology department is conducting a survey of its majors and obtains a sample by randomly selecting a group of 20 males and a group of 30 females from the list of majors.What kind of sampling is used in this example?

A)stratified random
B)proportionate stratified random
C)systematic
D)quota

Question 41

A large sample is probably more representative than a small sample.

Question 42

Simple random sampling guarantees that the sample will be representative of the population.

Question 43

Although proportionate stratified sampling involves selecting individuals from predetermined subgroups of the population,it does not guarantee that each subgroup in the sample will have a large number of individuals.

Question 44

There is a strong possibility that a convenience sample will be biased.

Question 45

If the goal of a research study is to describe and compare different subgroups in a known population,the best strategy is to use stratified random sampling.

Question 46

If a researcher wants a sample to accurately represent the composition of the population,the best strategy is to use stratified random sampling.

Question 47

Describe the basic distinction between probability sampling and nonprobability and explain why most psychology research uses nonprobability methods.

Question 48

Stratified random sampling is used instead of simple random sampling when a researcher wants to ensure that the sample has specified characteristics.

Question 49

When a researcher does not know the exact number of individuals in the population,it is necessary to use a nonprobability sampling method.

Question 50

The most commonly used sampling methods in psychology are nonprobability sampling methods.

Question 51

It is always necessary to have at least 25-30 participants in a study.

Question 52

Convenience sampling involves selecting individuals who are easy to get.

Question 53

One requirement for a simple random sample is that the likelihood of selecting one specific individual does not depend on which other individuals are selected for the sample.

Question 54

Selection bias is likely to produce a sample with characteristics that are noticeably different from those in the population.

Question 55

Simple random sampling without replacement means that the likelihood of selecting one specific individual will depend on which other individuals are selected for the sample.

Question 56

Stratified random sampling and quota sampling are both classified in the category of probability sampling techniques.

Question 57

If you cannot list all the individuals in the population,then you cannot take a simple random sample.

Question 58

Using a simple random sample eliminates bias from the selection process.

Question 59

Stratified and proportionate stratified sampling both involve selecting individuals from predetermined subgroups in the population.

Question 60

When a researcher does not know the exact number of individuals in the population but still wants to control the composition of a sample,the best technique is to use quota sampling.

Question 61

Explain how quota sampling can be used to simulate stratified random sampling or proportionate stratified random sampling in situations where the entire population is not known.

Question 62

Describe cluster sampling and identify some strengths and weaknesses of this technique.

Question 63

Explain why researchers feel reasonably comfortable using convenience sampling when this technique is likely to produce biased samples.

Question 64

Explain why you are more likely to obtain a representative sample with proportionate stratified random sampling than with either stratified random sampling or simple random sampling.

Question 65

Under what circumstances is a stratified random sample the most appropriate sampling method?

Question 66

Under what circumstances is a proportionate stratified random sample the most appropriate sampling method?