Deck 4: Sampling

Question 1

In a research study, what is a difference between a census and a sample?

A) a census includes every member of a population, a sample only some
B) a census is conducted at set time intervals, a sample can be done any time
C) a census is inherently less reliable than a sample
D) with large populations, a census is more efficient than sampling

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is an unbiased research sample?

A) a questionnaire emailed to all 18 clients of a social worker has 16 returned completed
B) a survey on self-care posted on a website for cancer patients gets 1,860 responses
C) 20 first-year students are randomly selected and agree to interviews about college transition
D) every student in a class completes a survey about their family's socio-economic status

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a source of potential bias in research samples?

A) selecting participants for a study from volunteers
B) using randomly dialed phone numbers to conduct a survey
C) selecting participants from people the researcher works with
D) selecting participants by drawing names from a hat

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A researcher drawing every other individual from a list of the population being studied is using what type of sampling?

A) random number table sampling
B) systematic sampling
C) sample of convenience
D) a census

Question 5

How might a random number table be used by researchers to select study participants?

A) by assigning the population numbers then picking participants whose numbers are in the table
B) by having participants pick a number then finding it on the table
C) by inputting the table into a random number generator
D) by correlating the table numbers to social security numbers

Question 6

What is the technical term for discussing the magnitude of sampling errors?

A) validity
B) precision
C) reliability
D) amplitude

Question 7

What does stratification mean in random sampling?

A) devising homogenous subgroups to ensure better representation
B) isolating a sample to a single social strata
C) a type of pattern that develops in statistical analysis of results
D) those with higher socio-economic status are more likely to be included

Question 8

An unbiased random sample can produce sampling errors.

Question 9

What is a major drawback to cluster sampling?

A) each cluster tends to be more heterogeneous than the population
B) each cluster tends to be more homogeneous than the population
C) each cluster correlates with only a portion of the population
D) each cluster is a collection of individuals rather than single subjects

Question 10

What can researchers do so cluster sampling is unbiased?

A) use probability sampling to stratify the clusters
B) increase cluster size and number
C) increase sample size and stratify the clusters
D) decrease sample size and stratify the clusters

Question 11

How does purposive sampling differ from probability sampling?

A) purposive is more valid for larger populations
B) purposive is not random but based on judgment
C) purposive samples include demographic data
D) purposive samples rely on theoretical models

Question 12

Which type of sampling is especially useful for difficult-to-find participants?

A) deviant case sampling
B) snowball sampling
C) maximum variation sampling
D) purposive sampling

Question 13

Why do qualitative researchers collect demographic data?

A) for future quantitative analysis
B) to correlate with specific findings
C) to aid in purposive sampling
D) to show how the sample relates to the population

Question 14

If the demographics of a sample reveal a subgroup of the population is underrepresented, how might a researcher address the problem?

A) eliminate the subgroup from the study
B) redefine the population under study to match the demographics
C) weight the subgroup data to match representation in the population
D) adjust the research question to compensate

Question 15

Which of the following sets of demographic variables are relevant to a survey on campus services for first-year college students?

A) race, gender, disability accommodation eligibility
B) state of residence, gender, disability accommodation eligibility
C) race, gender, SAT score
D) gender, state of residence, declared major

Question 16

What is the term used to describe participants starting a study but then leaving it?

A) abandonment
B) drop outs
C) margin of error
D) mortality

Question 17

Which of the following is an effect of increasing sample size?

A) enhanced precision
B) elimination of bias
C) decreased validity
D) decreased reliability

Question 18

What is the effect of increasing sample size on bias?

A) increases bias
B) decreases bias
C) maintains whatever bias is in the selection method
D) decreases volunteerism bias

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT one of the three main types of bias to account for?

A) underrepresentation of a subgroup
B) volunteerism
C) weighting subgroups
D) failure to ensure population members have one and only one chance of inclusion

Question 20

How does the principle of diminishing returns affect decisions about sample size?

A) larger populations require proportionally larger samples
B) researchers should define populations such that they are 1 million units or less
C) small populations require proportionally smaller samples
D) all populations require inversely proportional sample sizes

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining sample size?

A) variability of the population
B) risk of unrepresentative sample selection
C) convenience
D) the researcher's desired precision

Question 22

When can researchers obtain accurate results from a small sample?

A) when the population being studied is heterogeneous
B) when the population being studied has little variability
C) when the sample is heterogeneous
D) when the sample has little variability

Question 23

How might a qualitative researcher best obtain participants for a sample?

A) snowball sampling where one subject leads to another
B) probabilistic sampling by randomly dialing phone numbers
C) advertising for volunteers
D) asking friends to participate

Question 24

What is the generally recommended sample size for qualitative studies?

A) 10-30
B) 20-50
C) 30-75
D) 20 for psychology, 50 for sociology

Question 25

Published qualitative studies were found to have what sample sizes, on average?

A) 20-50 in all fields
B) 20 for psychology, 50 for sociology
C) 13 for psychology, 20 for sociology
D) 8 for psychology, 30 for sociology

Question 26

How long have sampling methods for research been around?

A) since the 1940s
B) since 1890
C) since the 17th century
D) since before recorded history

Question 27

Why is it now a challenge to use phone numbers for drawing a simple random sample?

A) some people only have cellphones
B) some people have cellphones and landlines, so could be called twice
C) phone numbers are now portable so area codes do not always correspond to location
D) all of the above

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of an Internet survey?

A) increasing sample size costs virtually nothing
B) data exports in a spreadsheet
C) sampling bias is less than with a simple random sample
D) branching questions can change what is asked next based on answers

Question 29

What often creates bias in an Internet survey?

A) sloppy question design
B) demographics of those who use the Internet
C) random sampling errors
D) all of the above