Simple Random Sampling
Simple random sampling is a method for obtaining a study sample where every single member of the target population has an equal chance of being selected. While this approach is effective for ensuring a representative sample, it is often difficult or impossible to achieve in psychological research because populations are rarely defined clearly enough to give everyone an equal selection chance.
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Ch.2 Psychological Research - Psychology @ OpenStax
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Introduction to Psychology @ OpenStax Course
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OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Hypothesis
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Confederate
Basic Two-Group Experimental Design
Random Assignment
A researcher wants to test if a new public speaking workshop reduces anxiety. They measure the anxiety levels of 50 volunteers before they participate in the workshop. A week after the workshop is completed, the researcher measures their anxiety levels again and finds that the average anxiety level has decreased. The researcher concludes the workshop is effective. What is the most significant flaw in this study's design?
Operational Definition
Simple Random Sampling
Relationship Between Sample and Population
A team of researchers wants to understand the typical sleep habits of all adults in a country of 50 million people. Since they cannot survey every individual, which of the following approaches would be the most practical and scientifically sound first step for their investigation?
Random Sample
Example of a Sample: Talkativeness Study
Representative Sample
Inferential Statistics
Probability Sampling
Non-probability Sampling
Determinants of Survey Sample Size
Convenience Sampling
Survey Non-responder
Simple Random Sampling
Sampling Bias
Measures of Central Tendency
To conduct a study, researchers typically select a smaller subset of individuals from a broader group of interest. This smaller subset is referred to as a ____.
Which of the following best explains why a psychology researcher would choose to study a sample rather than an entire population?
A researcher is investigating the exercise habits of all 5,000 employees at a corporate headquarters. Arrange the steps of the research process in the correct logical order to show how a sample is used to understand the entire group.
A psychologist investigates the study habits of all first-year college students by surveying 200 first-year students at a single university. Match each part of this study to its functional role in the sampling process.
A researcher concludes that a sample of 1,000 volunteers recruited from a specialized tech-support website is a methodologically sound group for evaluating the computer literacy of all adults in a nation. This conclusion is justified because a sample size this large () automatically guarantees that the subset will closely resemble the entire group of interest.
Sampling Frame
Cluster Sampling
Simple Random Sampling
Stratified Random Sampling
Which of the following is a key characteristic of probability sampling?
A researcher wants to study stress levels among all undergraduate students at a university. She posts flyers inviting volunteers and enrolls every student who responds. She reasons that because she can count exactly how many students signed up out of the total enrollment, she can calculate each person's probability of being in her sample, and therefore she is using probability sampling.
A psychologist is conducting a study on the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance. They intend to use a probability sampling method to ensure every student at their university has a known, mathematically specified chance of being included. Arrange the following steps in the correct order to execute this sampling plan.
A researcher is evaluating different sampling strategies for a study on campus life. Match each specific sampling scenario with the logical reason it either meets or fails the mathematical requirements of probability sampling.
A psychologist evaluates a colleague's study on social anxiety and concludes that the sampling method fails to meet the criteria for probability sampling. This judgment is justified because the colleague cannot mathematically specify the exact ________ that each member of the defined population will be selected.
Stratified Random Sampling
Simple Random Sampling
1936 Literary Digest Straw Poll
Which of the following provides the best definition of a sampling frame?
When a researcher uses a local hospital's patient admission records to select participants for a clinical study, that comprehensive list serves as the ____.
A researcher is planning several different studies. Match each group of interest with the specific source list that would serve as the most appropriate sampling frame for selecting participants.
A researcher discovers that their sampling frame—a list of residential landline phone numbers—excludes approximately 25% of the local community who only use cell phones. If the researcher increases their random sample size from 400 to 800 people using this same list, they will effectively eliminate the bias introduced by the incomplete list.
A researcher is designing a study to evaluate the job satisfaction of all licensed clinical psychologists currently practicing in a specific state. To ensure the study uses a random selection process where every professional in that group has a chance of being included, the researcher must identify an appropriate sampling frame. Rank the following potential sources from the most representative sampling frame (1) to the least representative sampling frame (4).
Learn After
Example of Simple Random Sampling: Pollster
Representative Sample
Why is simple random sampling often difficult or impossible to achieve in psychological research?
A psychology researcher wants to study stress levels among all undergraduate students at a large university. She posts a survey link on the university's social media page and collects responses from the first 200 students who volunteer to participate. This procedure qualifies as simple random sampling because any student at the university could have seen the post and chosen to respond.
A researcher wants to select a group of 50 participants from a university directory of 1,000 students using simple random sampling. Arrange the steps of this procedure in the correct chronological order.
To implement a sampling method where every member of a target group has an equal selection chance, a researcher must manage several distinct components. Match each component to the analytical role it plays in ensuring the method is executed correctly.
When critiquing the methodology of a study claiming to use simple random sampling for 'all adults with depression in North America,' a researcher would conclude the claim is likely invalid. This judgment is based on the fact that without a complete sampling frame, it is impossible to ensure that every individual in that population has a(n) ____ chance of being selected.