Sampling Basics:
What do we call the smaller group of people who actually take part in a study, drawn from a larger population?
Sample
What are the benefits of Opportunity/Convenience sampling?
Convenient for the researchers. Makes it easy to gather participants.
The act of informing participants about the goal of the experiment, after it has been administered.
Debriefing
How can you ensure that participants’ names/information will be removed from any data and reporting documentation?
Through anonymity.
This term refers to the entire group a researcher wants to learn about, from which a sample is drawn.
Population
In psychology, what does it mean to generalize research findings?
To apply results from the sample to the wider target population.
What are the benefits of Self-Selected/Volunteer sampling?
May be beneficial in studies that require a lot more involvement than something simple like filling out a questionnare or a one-day commitment. Asking volunteers ensures that people are willing to commit to the time involved in the study.
When a researcher considers the impact of their study on another culture.
Cultural considerations
What must you include in your informed consent for minors?
Parental Consent
This sampling method divides the population into subgroups (such as age or income level) and then randomly selects individuals from each group to ensure representation.
Stratified sampling
Which sampling method ensures every member of the target population has an equal chance of being chosen?
Random Method
Define and describe the limitations of Self-Selected/Volunteer sampling
Chance of sampling bias. People might only participate if they have particular beliefs or opinions about the subject being studied, therefore affecting the validity of the results.
The idea that your experiment can be executed by another researcher to ensure credibility.
Test-retest reliability
The act of having more than one researcher collect or analyze your data and conclusions.
Research triangulation
This term describes when researchers intentionally withhold some information from participants to preserve the integrity of a study, but must justify it ethically.
Deception
A researcher posts an ad online asking for volunteers to join their study. What sampling method is this?
Self-selected (volunteer) sampling.
What is random sampling?
Sampling where every member of the target population has an equal chance of being asked to participate in the study.
The act of getting permission from participants to analyze and report findings after the data has been collected.
Retrospective consent
What must be maintained when reporting your results?
Integrity
A researcher uses opportunity sampling at a university cafeteria. How might this create systematic bias, and what steps could be taken to minimize it?
Opportunity sampling at a cafeteria may overrepresent students of certain demographics (young, educated) and underrepresent others. This reduces generalizability. To minimize bias, researchers could combine opportunity with stratified methods to ensure representation.
A student researcher gathers participants by asking whoever happens to be available on campus. What sampling method is this, and what is one limitation and strength?
Opportunity sampling, it can lead to researcher bias or an unrepresentative sample. For strength it can be very quick and convenient.
What is the primary benefit of using a random sample?
It has a high probability of being a representative sample, which can then be generalized.
When a researcher has two potential goals that may be in competition with each other.
Disclose potential conflicts of interest
Researchers often use initials like H.M. or S.M. instead of full names in case studies to protect this ethical principle concerning a participant’s private information.
Confidentiality
This ethical theory, often associated with Immanuel Kant, argues that actions are morally right based on whether they follow a universal moral law, not based on consequences.
Deontology