Question 1

A university needs to create a sample of students to interview about their perceptions of the campus climate. They find a computerized list of all of the currently registered students and choose every fiftieth name on the list. What sampling method has been used?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of systematic random sampling because the university selects every fiftieth name from a list, following a specific system or pattern.

Question 2

Sampling bias occurs when

Accepted Answer

Sampling bias occurs when the probability with which the members of the population have been selected is not known, leading to a non-representative sample.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes snowball sampling?

Accepted Answer

Snowball sampling is a non-probability sampling technique where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. This method is often used when the population is hard to reach or identify.

Question 4

A sampling technique in which a population for which there is no sampling frame and is divided into a set of smaller groups for which there are known sampling frames is known as

Accepted Answer

Cluster sampling is used when there is no single sampling frame for the entire population, but there are known frames for smaller groups or clusters within the population. This method involves dividing the population into clusters and then randomly selecting some of these clusters to form the sample.

Question 5

A limitation of using questionnaires in survey research is that

Accepted Answer

Questionnaires, especially those administered online or by mail, may not be completed in the intended order by respondents, which can affect the flow or logic of questions designed to be answered sequentially. Other options (A, B, C) do not accurately represent limitations of questionnaires compared to interviews.

Question 6

Strata refer to

Accepted Answer

Strata refer to subgroups of a larger population that are created based on specific characteristics for the purpose of conducting stratified sampling. This approach ensures that the sample represents various segments of the population.

Question 7

Which of the following is not true about descriptive research?

Accepted Answer

Descriptive research is primarily focused on describing characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied. It does not measure relationships between variables; that is more characteristic of correlational or experimental research.

Question 8

An employer is interested in learning about the employees in his company. He interviews each of his employees, one at a time, using a short interview. He has conducted which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A census is conducted when information is collected from every member of a population. In this case, the employer interviews each of his employees, thus conducting a census.

Question 9

A researcher selects a sample by taking every sixtieth name on the list beginning with the number 3 . What type of sampling is this?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of systematic random sampling because the researcher is selecting every sixtieth name starting from a specific point (number 3), which follows a fixed, systematic interval.

Question 10

A face-to-face unstructured interview in which a number of people are interviewed at the same time is known as a

Accepted Answer

A focus group is a qualitative research method where a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. It involves an interactive and unstructured discussion led by a moderator.

Question 11

When the response rate on a questionnaire is low,

Accepted Answer

A low response rate can lead to nonresponse bias, making the conclusions drawn about the population potentially incorrect because the respondents may not be representative of the entire population.

Question 12

The U.S. Census is known as a census because

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Census is considered a census because it aims to include the entire U.S. population, not just a sample or a representative survey.

Question 13

Which of the following is a type of nonprobability sampling?

Accepted Answer

Snowball sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances. This method is often used when the population is hard to reach or identify.

Question 14

A telephone book from a large city could be considered

Accepted Answer

A telephone book from a large city can be considered a sampling frame because it serves as a list from which a sample can be drawn. It contains the contact information of individuals or households in that city, making it a comprehensive source for selecting participants for a study or survey.

Question 15

In scientific research, sampling refers to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Sampling in scientific research involves selecting a subset of individuals from a population to study, which is described in option A.

Question 16

Oversampling refers to

Accepted Answer

Oversampling involves selecting more individuals from specific strata to ensure that there are enough samples for detailed analysis, especially when some strata are small or underrepresented.

Question 17

One potential difficulty of systematic random sampling is that

Accepted Answer

Systematic random sampling can lead to issues if the list from which samples are drawn is not randomized. This is because patterns or regular intervals in the list could coincide with the sampling interval, leading to a biased sample.

Question 18

Which of the following is a primary goal of descriptive research?

Accepted Answer

Descriptive research aims to accurately and systematically describe a population, situation, or phenomenon. It provides a snapshot of the current state of affairs without delving into cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 19

In comparison to interviews, questionnaires are

Accepted Answer

Questionnaires are less likely to be influenced by the presence of the researcher because they are typically self-administered, reducing the potential for interviewer bias.

Question 20

A town in West Virginia needs to choose a jury for a trial. They create slips of paper with the names of each of the adults in the county and place the slips in a large box. They then draw twelve names from the box. What sampling method has been used?

Accepted Answer

This method is simple random sampling because every adult in the county has an equal chance of being selected for the jury by having their name drawn from the box.

Quiz 6: Surveys and Sampling