Deck 5: Selecting Research Participants

Question 1

Although it is possible to obtain a sample with characteristics that are very different from the population through random sampling, it is more likely that a nonrepresentative sample is the result of ____.

A) simple random sampling
B) selection bias
C) stratified selection
D) systematic selection

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A researcher recruits participants for an experiment by posting an announcement in the psychology department asking for volunteers. What kind of sampling is being used?

A) Quota
B) Random
C) Probability
D) Nonprobability

Answer 2

D

Question 3

To select a sample of 10 employees from a factory workforce of 100, a researcher puts each employee's name on a slip of paper, then shuffles the papers in a hat and randomly picks 10 names. What kind of sampling is being used?

A) Quota
B) Convenience
C) Probability
D) Nonprobability

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which kind of sampling requires such extensive knowledge of the population that the researcher could list every individual in the population?

A) Quota
B) Convenience
C) Probability
D) Nonprobability

Question 5

The group of individuals from which researchers actually select participants for research studies is called the ____ population.

A) accessible
B) target
C) representative
D) real

Question 6

If every possible outcome is equally likely during sample selection, then the sample is said to be _____.

A) random
B) stratified
C) nonprobabilistic
D) biased

Question 7

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 8

Simple random sampling is least likely to ____.

A) ensure that each individual has an equal chance of selection
B) remove all bias and discrimination from the selection process
C) guarantee that every individual in the population has a chance of being selected
D) guarantee that the sample will be representative and unbiased

Question 9

Which statement accurately describes the relationship between accessible populations and target populations?

A) The target population is contained within the accessible population.
B) The target population is also sometimes known simply as the population.
C) The accessible population is larger than the target population.
D) Everyone in the accessible population will participate in the research.

Question 10

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

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

Question 11

One characteristic of random sampling with replacement is that it ____.

A) allows for the same individual to be selected more than once
B) allows the probabilities to vary from one selection to the next
C) ensures that the probability of individual selection increases as selection progresses
D) can be used even if the entire population is unknown

Question 12

Dr. Ziser conducts an experiment on life satisfaction using participants above the age of 80. All people above the age of 80 would make up the ____.

A) sample
B) census
C) population
D) subgroup

Question 13

Dr. Ziser conducts an experiment on life satisfaction using participants above the age of 80. Because she cannot include all people above the age of 80, she will select what is known as a ____.

A) sample
B) census
C) population
D) subgroup

Question 14

The starting point for most probability sampling techniques is ________.

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

Question 15

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 16

The law of large numbers states that larger samples are _____.

A) too difficult to work with
B) more likely to be biased
C) usually more representative of a population
D) better selected through nonprobabilistic methods

Question 17

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 18

The major advantage of a simple random sample is that it ensures that ____.

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

Question 19

Why is probability sampling rarely used in behavioral science researcher?

A) It does not allow for a truly random selection process.
B) It is too difficult to get a representative sample with probability sampling.
C) It is too easy to let bias sneak into the study with probability sampling.
D) It is often not possible to list every individual in a population.

Question 20

What is a concern with simple random sampling without replacement?

A) Individuals may appear more than once in a sample.
B) It is very difficult and time consuming compared to sampling with replacement.
C) It does not produce independent selections.
D) It requires sophisticated knowledge of statistics.

Question 21

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

A) Stratified random
B) Proportionate stratified random
C) Systematic
D) Quota

Question 22

A teacher obtains a sample of children from a fifth-grade classroom by randomly selecting the third, fifth, and eighth rows and taking all the students in those rows. This is an example of ____ sampling.

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

Question 23

A sample consists of 25 freshmen, 25 sophomores, 25 juniors, and 25 seniors from a local high school that has an equal number of students in each class. If the sample was obtained using a list of all the students in the high school, it is probably an example of ____ sampling. If the sample was obtained without a list of students, it is likely an example of ____ sampling.

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

Question 24

One criticism of proportionate stratified random sampling is that ____.

A) some segments of the population will be over-represented in the sample
B) statistical analysis may be impeded when subgroups are small
C) the sample is usually not representative of the population
D) some segments of the population will be under-represented in the sample

Question 25

How does convenience sampling compare to probability sampling?

A) Convenience sampling is a more complex process.
B) Convenience sampling is a faster process.
C) Convenience sampling is more expensive.
D) Convenience sampling minimizes the risk of bias.

Question 26

The workers in a factory are organized into five-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 ____ sampling.

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

Question 27

One criticism of a stratified random sample is that ____.

A) it is not based on a random selection process
B) the sample may not be representative of the population
C) some segments of the population will not be represented in the sample
D) it often prevents the use of more powerful statistical analyses

Question 28

Which sampling technique 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 29

The technique of quota sampling is most similar to ____ sampling.

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

Question 30

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

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

Question 31

A researcher recruits a sample of 25 preschool children for a research study by posting an announcement in a local daycare center describing the study and offering a $10 payment for participation. What kind of sampling is the researcher using?

A) Cluster sampling
B) Quota sampling
C) Simple random sampling
D) Convenience sampling

Question 32

The primary advantage of a stratified random sample is that it ____.

A) ensures that group sizes will be adequate for statistical analysis
B) provides a sample that is guaranteed to be representative of the population
C) ensures that no single group is over-represented in the sample
D) does not require pre-existing knowledge about the population

Question 33

Quota sampling produces the same advantages for convenience sampling that ____ sampling produces for probability sampling.

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

Question 34

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 ____ sampling.

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

Question 35

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 while ensuring sufficient numbers of participants from each of the ethnic groups, the researcher should probably use ____ sampling.

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

Question 36

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 37

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

A) the specific groups selected are not selected by a random process
B) the selections are not independent of each other
C) the individuals within each group are usually not independent
D) replacement is typically included in the sampling procedure

Question 38

The most commonly used sampling method in psychological research is probably ____ sampling.

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

Question 39

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 40

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

A) the selection of the first individual is not random
B) the selections are not independent of each other
C) it does not use sampling with replacement
D) the entire population is not known

Question 41

A downside of proportionate stratified sampling is that it can be impossible to compare or generalize about some smaller subgroups in a population.

Question 42

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

Question 43

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

Question 44

The accessible population is a subset of the target population.

Question 45

Stratified random sampling is used instead of simple random sampling when a researcher wants to ensure that the subgroups within a population are represented in the sample.

Question 46

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 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

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

Question 50

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

Question 51

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

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

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

Question 55

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

Question 56

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

Question 57

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 58

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

Question 59

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

Question 60

Since convenience sampling offers no guarantee of a representative and unbiased sample, it should not be used in behavioral research.

Question 61

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

Question 62

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

Question 63

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 64

Explain two disadvantages of proportionate stratified random sampling.

Question 65

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

Question 66

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

Question 67

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.