Week 6

Question 1

population

Answer 1

the entire set of individuals in which the study findings are to be generalized; a group that cannot be assessed directly

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

the selected group of participants to be observed that is meant to be representative of the population

Question 3

sampling frame

Answer 3

a list where you draw your sample from (i.e. class roster, magazine, neighborhoods in a city, etc.)

Question 4

representativeness

Answer 4

a sample that closely relates to the population of interest in a study

Question 5

sampling error

Answer 5

the degree of error to be expected of a given sample design

Question 6

EPSEM

Answer 6

equal probability of selection methods; sample design in which each member of a population has the same chance of being selected for a sample

Question 7

random selection

Answer 7

each member of the population has the same chance of being sampled; specific characteristics do not impact selections

Question 8

what is the most important thing when determining a sample size?

Answer 8

the greater the size of the sample, the more representative the sample is of the population

Question 9

What was the prediction of the Literary Digest in the 1936 presidential election?

Answer 9

Alf Landon would defeat President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1936 presidential election, but they were wrong due to overrepresentation of wealthy voters in their poll

Question 10

What mistake was made in the polling of the 1948 presidential election?

Answer 10

polls predicted Thomas Dewey would win, but the incorrect predictions were based on outdated or incomplete data, and Dewey ultimately lost to Truman

Question 11

sampling coverage

Answer 11

must make sure that samples allow us to answer research questions and hypotheses

Question 12

simple random sampling

Answer 12

probability sample in which each individual has the same probability of being selected

Question 13

cluster (aka multi-stage) sampling

Answer 13

researchers divide up target population into groups or “clusters” that are selected at random, then individuals within these clusters are randomly selected

Question 14

stratified sampling

Answer 14

population is divided into groups or “strata” and sample members are selected in strategic proportions from each strata

Question 15

convenience sampling

Answer 15

sampling elements of a population that are available at a given moment or who volunteer for a study

Question 16

quota sampling

Answer 16

researchers specify a particular number of participants that meet a specific characteristic or set of characteristics important to the study