Deck 5: Sampling and Generalizability

Question 1

Periodicity is a source of sampling error in most non-probability sampling.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Use the following to answer questions 16-18:
In each set, match a concept from Group A to a definition or example from Group B.
Non-Probability Sampling Methods
Group A
1. Availability Sampling
2. Purposive Sampling
3. Quota Sampling
4. Snowball Sampling

Group B
a. A random, multistage sampling procedure
b. A procedure that uses accidental or convenience selection techniques
c. A procedure that relies on getting information from respondents to find others
d. A procedure that requires some prior knowledge of characteristics in the population
e. A procedure that considers the knowledge of the informant in the selection process

Answer 2

1-b
2-e
3-d
4-c

Question 3

The population is the entire set of individuals or other entities to which study findings are to be generalized.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Purposive sampling selects elements for inclusion in the sample based on chance.

Question 5

Use the following to answer questions 16-18:
In each set, match a concept from Group A to a definition or example from Group B.
Probability Sampling Methods
Group A
1. Simple random sampling
2. Systematic random sampling
3. Cluster sampling
4. Stratified random sampling

Group B
a. Elements are selected by choosing every nth element on the sampling frame after a random starting point
b. Groups are randomly selected, and then elements are randomly selected from those groups
c. Elements are selected by use of a random number table
d. Sub-groups within the population are identified as sharing some characteristic, and elements are randomly selected from with those sub-groups
e. Every other element is selected from the sampling frame until the sample size has been reached

Question 6

If anything other than chance determines which elements are selected for the sample, the sample is said to have:

A) Skew
B) Bias
C) Tilt
D) Disproportionate strata
E) Invalidity

Question 7

If the probability of selection cannot be determined before a sample is drawn, what type of sampling procedure must be used?

A) Lottery procedure
B) Random number table
C) Non-probability sampling
D) Convenience sampling
E) Purposive sampling

Question 8

A target population refers to a set of elements larger than or different from the population sampled and to which the researcher would like to generalize study findings.

Question 9

The larger the sample, the more confidence we can have in the sample's representativeness.

Question 10

It is not possible to determine the probability of selection of elements in a disproportionate stratified random sample.

Question 11

In purposive sampling, interviews should continue until a saturation point is reached.

Question 12

The individual members of the population whose characteristics are to be measured are called the sample.

Question 13

A census collects data from every element in the entire population of interest.

Question 14

Availability sampling is another name for simple random sampling.

Question 15

Cluster sampling is a type of sampling in which elements are selected in two or more states, with the first stage being random selection of naturally occurring clusters.

Question 16

A simple random sample of students could be achieved by stopping every other student who enters the library.

Question 17

Cluster sampling is a form of non-probability sampling.

Question 18

Use the following to answer questions 16-18:
In each set, match a concept from Group A to a definition or example from Group B.
Key Terms
Group A
1. Elements
2. Population
3. Sample
4. Sampling frame

Group B
a. The entire set of individuals or entities to which study findings are to be generalized
b. A subset of a population used to study the population as a whole
c. The individual members of the population whose characteristics are to be measured
d. A list of all elements or other units containing the elements in a population
e. Units listed at each stage of a multistage sampling design

Question 19

In a census, the probability of selection is always less than 1.0.

Question 20

When cases are chosen not to represent the population but because of an interesting outcome, we refer to this as sampling the independent variable.

Question 21

When magazines and websites create surveys that readers or visitors to the website can choose to complete, what type of sampling method is used?

A) Simple random
B) Availability
C) Purposive
D) Quota
E) Stratified random

Question 22

A researcher studying small town religiosity in the United States randomly selected ten states. From these states, he randomly selected one tenth of all counties. From these counties, he randomly selected one tenth of cities with populations smaller than 10,000. From these towns, he obtained lists of all houses of worship and randomly selected three. From these, he selected ten practitioners to be interviewed. In this example, which is not a cluster?

A) States
B) Counties
C) Cities with populations less than 10,000
D) Houses of worship
E) Practitioners

Question 23

A list of registered voters in City X show that 30% of the population is registered Democrat, 50% is registered Republican, and 20% is registered Independent/Other. Which of the following would be closest to a proportionate stratified random sample of 100 voters in City X?

A) 33 Democrats, 33 Republicans, and 34 Independent/Others
B) 40 Democrats, 40 Republicans, and 20 Independent/Others
C) 50 Democrats, 30 Republicans, and 20 Independent/Others
D) 30 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 20 Independent/Others
E) 50 Democrats, 50 Republicans, and 0 Independent/Others

Question 24

Which two sampling methods require that the researcher know something about the salient characteristics of the population (such as race, ethnicity, or gender) before selecting samples?

A) Simple random and stratified random
B) Stratified random and quota
C) Quota and multi-stage cluster
D) Multi-stage cluster and purposive
E) Purposive and simple random

Question 25

Florencia asked the registrar at her school to provide a list of all sociology majors. She then selected every fourth name on the list. She used what sampling method?

A) Simple random
B) Stratified random
C) Systematic random
D) Proportionate random
E) Non-probability

Question 26

The group of elements from which a sample is drawn is known as the:

A) Sample frame
B) Sampling unit
C) Sampling interval
D) Population
E) Target population

Question 27

If one third of all elements in a population will be selected for a simple random sample, the probability of selection for each element in the population is:

A) 0.05
B) 0.13
C) 0.33
D) 0.67
E) 1.33

Question 28

Which of the following is not a procedure for simple random selection of elements?

A) Assigning consecutive numbers to elements, and selecting on the basis of a random number table
B) Selecting every nth element from a sampling frame, after the starting point has been randomly selected
C) Using a computer to dial random digits after a phone prefix
D) Writing all elements down on small pieces of paper, mixing them up, and selecting them like they do in the lottery
E) Programming a computer to select a random sample

Question 29

In what type or types of sample design do elements have an equal probability of selection?

A) Simple random
B) Census
C) Proportionate stratified random sampling
D) EPSEM
E) All of the above

Question 30

Which of the following is true?

A) In most cases the raw size of the sample is less important than the fraction of the population that the sample represents.
B) A smaller sample tends to be more representative of a population than a small larger drawn from the same population.
C) A sample of 3 percent of the population is always more representative of the population than a sample of 2 percent of the population, regardless of the size of the sample drawn.
D) The more homogenous a population is, the more likely a sample will be representative of it.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 31

A researcher gets a list of all 500 members of Social Club Z that she wants to include in her study. She only has the funding and time to survey 50 members. She takes her list of members, randomly selects a starting point, and then selects every tenth name from the list to be included in her sample. In this example, the sampling interval is:

A) The list of all 500 members
B) 500
C) 50
D) 10
E) Cannot be determined

Question 32

In a census, the probability of selection for all elements is:

A) Less than one
B) Greater than one
C) Undetermined
D) Dependent on sample size
E) Exactly one

Question 33

A survey that takes measurements from all elements of a population is also known as a:

A) Representative sample
B) Disproportionate representative sample
C) Proportionate representative sample
D) Stratified random sample
E) Census

Question 34

A researcher conducts a survey of students randomly selected from Introduction to Psychology classes at State University. The researcher then attempts to generalize these findings to all college students. In this example, the target population is:

A) All psychology students
B) All psychology students at State University
C) All college students
D) All college students at State University
E) Cannot be determined given the information available

Question 35

The individual members of the population whose characteristics are to be measured are known as:

A) Samples
B) Elements
C) Sampling units
D) Primary sampling units
E) Targets

Question 36

A subset of the population used to study the population as a whole is known as a(n):

A) Target population
B) Sampling frame
C) Sample
D) Element
E) Sampling unit

Question 37

As the size of the sample goes up:

A) So does confidence in its representativeness of the population
B) Confidence in its representativeness of the population decreases
C) Its proportion to the size of the population must remain constant
D) The fraction of the total population that a sample contains decreases
E) So does the probability of selection for each element in the population

Question 38

What is the probability of selection for any man in a proportionate random sample, where a sample of 100 will be drawn from a population of 1,000 that is 50% male and 50% female?

A) 50
B) 25
C) )10
D) )50
E) )01

Question 39

Which of the following is false about a random probability sample?

A) The probability of selection is known for all elements.
B) The sampling frame must be fully identified.
C) Non-responses may bias the sample.
D) Chance determines the selection of elements.
E) Elements are chosen haphazardly.

Question 40

To conduct a survey on current political science majors, a researcher gets a list of all students who have declared a political science major from the registrar from which a sample will be drawn. This list is known as what?

A) A sample
B) A population
C) A target population
D) An aggregation
E) A sampling frame

Question 41

In what circumstances is a simple random sample possible? Describe at least four techniques can be used in drawing a simple random sample. How does this contrast with drawing a systematic random sample? In what situations is a systematic random sample as good as a simple random sample, and in what situations is it clearly worse?

Question 42

You have been hired by the Department of Institutional Research to find out if students at State University work while they're in school. You have access to the complete list of students registered this semester. Design a stratified random sample and a quota sample of students at State University, where the student population has the following salient characteristics: 50% male, 50% female; 75% white, not Hispanic, 25% racial or ethnic minority. Discuss the different procedures for each and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Question 43

Four nonprobability sampling methods are discussed in the text. Describe eight research situations in which each one of these methods would be appropriate-two situations per method.

Question 44

In social research, what is the importance of sampling? Why are probability sampling techniques superior to non-probability sampling in achieving this end?

Question 45

The ____________ the sample, the more ___________ we can have in the sample's representativeness.

A) smaller; reliability
B) larger; reliability
C) larger; confidence
D) smaller; confidence
E) larger; assurance

Question 46

You have been assigned a research project for the state board of education in which you have been asked to conduct interviews with teachers from different schools throughout the state. Your supervisor suggests that you may use either a simple random sample or a cluster sample. Outline how you would conduct this research given the sampling technique you select, explaining your preference over the other method.

Question 47

Which of the following is not a common type of probability sampling?

A) Simple random sampling
B) Systematic random sampling
C) Haphazard sampling
D) Cluster sampling
E) Stratified random sampling

Question 48

Which of the following is not a common type of non-probability sampling?

A) Selective sampling
B) Availability sampling
C) Quota sampling
D) Purposive sampling
E) Snowball sampling

Question 49

How does diversity within the population affect the sampling technique chosen in social research? Does this differ for probability and non-probability sampling? Explain at least three specific techniques that can be used to address high levels of diversity within a population.

Question 50

A researcher is working with data collected through responses from or about the available members of the entire population of the United States, also known as:

A) Target population data
B) Consensus data
C) Census data
D) Survey data
E) National data

Question 51

How does a simple random sample differ from an availability sample? Which is better for social research and why?

Question 52

In what circumstances are non-probability sampling methods appropriate? What are the limitations of using non-probability sampling methods?

Question 53

Should the U.S. Census be replaced by a survey of a random sample? Evaluate the arguments for and against this change.

Question 54

When all elements in a population are identical:

A) Generalizability based on a sample is low
B) Sampling is unnecessary
C) Non-probability samples have greater generalizability
D) A census must be taken
E) Large samples are more representative than small samples

Question 55

Another name for convenience sampling is:

A) Availability sampling
B) Judgmental sampling
C) Purposive sampling
D) Simple random sampling
E) Stratified sampling

Question 56

A researcher has decided to do a study of people who hunt in a nearby national forest. He asks a friend, whom he knows to be a hunter, if he would consent to an interview. He interviews his friend, and then asks his friend if he could name other people who hunted in the forest. His friend provides him with five names. The researcher contacts those five people, interviews them, and asks each of those people for names of other hunters. This sampling technique is known as:

A) Casual sampling
B) Personal sampling
C) Key informant interviewing
D) Snowball sampling
E) Qualitative sampling

Question 57

The text points out that the amount of sampling error introduced by random selection changes with the size of the sample and with the homogeneity of the population from which it is selected. Taking these points into account, explain how it is that stratified sampling can result in less sampling error that multi-stage cluster sampling. After all, isn't random selection random selection, no matter which type of sampling is used?

Question 58

What is availability sampling? In what circumstances is it appropriate for social scientific research? How does availability sampling compromise generalizability? Does the proliferation of availability samples in popular research change the way that social scientific research is conducted or accepted by the general public?
Answer Key

Question 59

Which of the following is a common problem that can bias what appears to be a random sample?

A) An incomplete sampling frame
B) Attrition
C) Non-responsiveness
D) Both a and c
E) All of the above