Question 1

After taking a random start between 1 and 20 and then taking every 20th element from the sampling frame,Smith learned that 40% of the sample believed the company's president was doing a good job.The calculated standard error was 3 percent.Assuming a normal distribution,this means that

Accepted Answer

The standard error is 3%, and assuming a normal distribution, 68% of the data falls within one standard deviation of the mean. Therefore, you are 68% certain that the true proportion is between 37% and 43%.

Question 2

Chauncey determined that 50 percent of students at his school voted Republican in the last election,with a sampling error (also known as standard error)of 5 percent.What is the confidence interval for 95 percent confidence level?

Accepted Answer

The confidence interval is calculated as the sample proportion plus and minus the margin of error. For a 95% confidence level, the margin of error is approximately 1.96 times the standard error. Here, 50% ± (1.96 * 5%) gives a range of 40% to 60%.

Question 3

Maggie wanted to do a study of women who had participated in extramarital affairs.Since there is no sampling frame listing all such women,she visited a women's group and asked for volunteers among those who had participated in an affair.She then asked each of those women for the names of other possible study participants.She was using which design?

Accepted Answer

Maggie is using snowball sampling since she is relying on referrals from her initial participants to find additional participants, instead of having a pre-existing sampling frame.

Question 4

A disadvantage of stratified sampling is that it

Accepted Answer

Stratified sampling requires prior knowledge about the population to divide it into strata, which can be a disadvantage if such information is not readily available.

Question 5

Holstein set up a matrix representing his population of residence hall students,using gender and class level.He then started interviewing students and continued until he had accomplished the percentages he set out in the beginning.Which sampling design does this example reflect?

Accepted Answer

The sampling design described in the example reflects a quota sampling design. This is because the researcher set out to achieve certain percentages within each category (gender and class level) in their sample, and continued to sample until these quotas were met.

Question 6

Unlisted telephone numbers creates a special problem for accurate

Accepted Answer

Unlisted telephone numbers make it difficult to create accurate sampling frames because they are not included in publicly available phone directories. This can lead to biases in the sample, as individuals with unlisted numbers may have different characteristics than those with listed numbers.

Question 7

Professor Hall was planning to do a field study of hitchhikers.Hall wanted to be sure that persons representing all different age,racial,and sex categories were included in the sample of hitchhikers.What kind of sampling scheme would you recommend?

Accepted Answer

Quota sampling is recommended because it allows the researcher to ensure that specific subgroups (age, race, sex) are represented in the sample according to predetermined quotas.

Question 8

Periodicity is a particular problem for which sampling design?

Accepted Answer

Systematic sampling can be problematic if there is periodicity in the population, as it may lead to biased samples if the sampling interval coincides with the period of the pattern.

Question 9

Through a review of records,Rebecca was able to determine that the mean age of the population she was studying was 23.4 years old.This is known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

The mean age determined through a review of records represents a numerical value that describes a characteristic of the population under study. This value, known as a parameter, serves as a fixed constant that distinguishes the population from other populations. It is a precise value that does not depend on chance or sampling variability. Therefore, option D is the correct answer, while the other options do not reflect the appropriate interpretation of the given information.

Question 10

A study population is

Accepted Answer

The study population is the actual group from which the sample is drawn for a study.

Question 11

Gilbert wanted to study only students who do very well in class because such students would best help him test his theory.He asked 20 professors for the names of high achieving students and he then interviewed them.Which sampling design does this example reflect?

Accepted Answer

This sampling design reflects a purposive sampling because Gilbert intentionally sought out high achieving students to best test his theory.

Question 12

What is the unit about which information is collected in a sample,and that provides the basis of analysis?

Accepted Answer

An element is an individual unit, object, or subject about which data or information is collected in a sample. It is the smallest unit of analysis in a sample.

Answer: E) element and population
 A population is the larger group of individuals, objects, or subjects that a sample is drawn from. The sample data is collected from the elements within the population. Both elements and population form the basis of analysis in a sample study.

Question 13

Starting at a random point between 1 and 15,and then choosing every 15 element is what kind of sampling scheme?

Accepted Answer

This is a systematic sampling scheme because it follows a systematic pattern of selecting every 15th element after starting at a random point.

Question 14

Andre surveyed the first ten students walking out of the library on three consecutive evenings,starting at 7PM.Which sampling design does this example reflect?

Accepted Answer

This example reflects reliance on available subjects as the students walking out of the library were the only accessible sample for the researcher to survey.

Question 15

The statistical computations typically used by social scientists assume

Accepted Answer

Simple random sampling is the most commonly used method of sampling in social science research. The statistical computations used in this method assume that the sample has been selected randomly from the population, which ensures that the sample is representative of the population. It also assumes that each element in the population has an equal chance of being selected, which enhances the reliability and validity of the statistical analysis.

Question 16

Paul wants to conduct research on the neutralization habits of adolescent gang members.What would be the best strategy for him to use to select a sample?

Accepted Answer

Snowball sampling would be the best strategy for Paul to use to select a sample of adolescent gang members. This is because accessing and identifying members of gang populations can be difficult and dangerous, and snowball sampling allows researchers to start with a small group of known members and then ask those individuals to refer other members they know. This method can help to avoid some of the safety concerns associated with identifying and approaching gang members, while still allowing the researcher to gather data from within the group.

Question 17

You want to select a sample of 3,000 people from a population of 300,000.To use the table of random numbers you need to work with a

Accepted Answer

The answer of You want to select a sample of...

Question 18

What is the difference between quota sampling and stratified sampling?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the difference between quota sampling...

Question 19

Disproportionate sampling and weighting are used by the researcher

Accepted Answer

The answer of Disproportionate sampling and weighting are used by...

Question 20

Jerome is worried about the periodicity in his sampling frame.Jerome should not use

Accepted Answer

Systematic sampling can help mitigate concerns about periodicity by selecting every kth individual in a population. This ensures that there is some randomness to the selection process, but avoids selecting individuals in a predictable pattern. Simple random sampling, on the other hand, could potentially result in selecting a disproportionate number of individuals from certain periods in the sampling frame. Stratified sampling and disproportionate sampling do not necessarily address the periodicity concern, and probability sampling is a broad term that could include any of the other sampling methods listed.

Quiz 7: The Logic of Sampling