Question 1

Usually, a larger sample size _______________ the level of confidence.
A) reduces
B) does not impact
C) decreases
D) increases

Accepted Answer

A larger sample size increases the level of confidence as it reduces the margin of error and increases the representativeness of the sample.

Question 2

A professor is interested in surveying the students of a college he divides up the students based on the major they have chosen. He then selects students randomly from each major while keeping the overall distribution of majors the same. What type of sampling has he just conducted?
A) simple random sampling
B) snowball sampling
C) disproportional stratified sampling
D) proportional stratified sampling

Accepted Answer

The professor has divided the students into strata based on their major and then sampled randomly from each stratum while maintaining the proportionality of the strata. This is proportional stratified sampling.

Question 3

The _____________________ most typical to research is 95%.
A) margin of error
B) confidence level
C) sampling error
D) variation

Accepted Answer

The 95% confidence level is the most common level used in research to indicate the level of certainty or accuracy of the results. It means that if the same study were repeated 100 times, the results would fall within the margin of error range 95 times out of 100. The margin of error (A) and sampling error (C) are related to the accuracy of the results but are not specific to a particular confidence level. Variation (D) refers to the spread of data within a sample or population and is not directly related to the confidence level.

Question 4

Proportionate stratified sampling and cluster sampling are both examples of __________________.
A) probability sampling
B) simple random sampling
C) non-probability sampling
D) convenience sampling

Accepted Answer

Proportionate stratified sampling and cluster sampling both fall under probability sampling methods, which involve randomly selecting samples from a defined population with a known probability of inclusion. Simple random sampling and convenience sampling are also sampling methods, but they are not specific examples of the two options given in the question prompt. Non-probability sampling methods involve selecting samples in a non-random manner and may not be representative of the population as a whole.

Question 5

A teacher would like to take a sample of their students by giving a survey to ten students from every class he teaches. He puts a piece of paper with the students' names in paper bags, with one paper bag representing one class. He then draws ten slips of paper from each bag to determine who will take the survey. What type of sampling has he just conducted?
A) convenience sampling
B) cluster sampling
C) purposive sampling
D) simple random sampling

Accepted Answer

The teacher has conducted cluster sampling because he has divided his population (the students in his classes) into distinct groups (the individual classes), and then randomly selected a sample from each of those groups.

Question 6

If your sampling frame fails to include people who are relevant to your research objective, these people are considered ________________.
A) foreign elements
B) duplicate entries
C) missing elements
D) clusters

Accepted Answer

If the sampling frame fails to include people who are relevant to the research objective, they are considered missing elements. This can result in biased or incomplete results. The other options are not relevant to this scenario.

Question 7

In Mary's case, she must decide how many people to interview in order to be able to understand her research questions regarding recruiting and retaining volunteers. The group of people she selects is known as the ______________.
A) population
B) sample
C) sampling
D) sampling frame

Accepted Answer

The group of people Mary selects is known as the sample. Option A is incorrect because the population refers to the entire group of individuals that her research questions are relevant to, not the specific group of people she is selecting for the study. Option C is also incorrect as sampling refers to the process of selecting a sample. Option D is the list of individuals from which a sample will be selected, but it does not refer to the actual group of people being studied.

Question 8

You are reading the newspaper and they report that there is a 90% chance of sun with a ±5% _________________.
A) effect size
B) probability
C) confidence level
D) margin of error

Accepted Answer

A percentage with a ±5% indicates a margin of error, which represents the range within which the true value is likely to fall. Therefore, the answer is D.

Question 9

Extreme case sampling is one form of __________________.
A) simple random sampling
B) snowball sampling
C) systemic random sampling
D) purposive sampling

Accepted Answer

Extreme case sampling is a type of purposive sampling where the researcher selects cases that are extreme or unusual in some way. Therefore, the best choice is D, purposive sampling.

Question 10

The _________________ is used to identify those individuals or entities that will make up the population.
A) exclusion criteria
B) sampling technique
C) sample
D) inclusion criteria

Accepted Answer

The inclusion criteria are the characteristics that determine who is eligible to be part of a population in a research study, defining the population of interest.

Question 11

A doctor is interested in surveying the patients of his practice. She collects their names and provides each patient name with a unique number. Then, she chooses her sample using a random number generator. What type of sampling has she just conducted?
A) snowball sampling
B) cluster sampling
C) simple random sampling
D) proportional stratified sampling

Accepted Answer

The doctor has conducted simple random sampling, as she has chosen her sample randomly from the list of patients with a unique number assigned to each. Snowball sampling involves asking participants to refer other potential participants, cluster sampling involves dividing the population into clusters and randomly selecting clusters to sample from, and proportional stratified sampling involves dividing the population into strata based on relevant characteristics and selecting a proportionate sample from each stratum. None of these methods are evident from the given scenario.

Question 12

You are performing a series of focus groups to understand the experience of people faced with a tax audit. Eventually you find that in every additional focus group you conduct, there are no new information that emerges. In other words, you have reached the ___________________.
A) confidence level
B) confidence interval
C) saturation point
D) margin of error

Accepted Answer

The saturation point refers to the point at which no new information is emerging, indicating that the sample size has reached its limit and further research may not yield additional insights. A confidence level refers to the level of certainty in the accuracy of the data collected, a confidence interval refers to the estimated range of values that a population parameter may fall within, and the margin of error refers to the degree of error that may be present in survey or sampling data. None of these concepts apply to the situation described in the question.

Question 13

The methods and techniques used to identify the sample are known as the ___________________.
A) sample size
B) sampling technique
C) sampling frame
D) sample

Accepted Answer

The methods and techniques used to identify the sample are known as the sampling technique, which involves selecting a subset of individuals or observations from a larger population to represent the characteristics of the population as a whole. Sample size refers to the number of individuals or observations included in the sample. A sampling frame is a list of individuals or observations that could potentially be included in the sample. The sample is the actual subset of individuals or observations that are selected for the study. Therefore, B is the best choice as it directly corresponds to the question prompt.

Question 14

Failure to appropriately determine the sampling frame could affect the __________________ of the research.
A) relativity
B) generalizability
C) externality
D) internal validity

Accepted Answer

Generalizability refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be applied to the population at large. If the sampling frame is not appropriate, then the sample may not accurately represent the population, thus affecting the generalizability of the research.

Question 15

When selecting a sample, the researcher aims to draw conclusions about the whole population of interest. This is referred to as ____________________.
A) internal validity
B) generalizability
C) sampling
D) sampling frame

Accepted Answer

Generalizability is the term used to describe the extent to which findings from a sample can be applied to the larger population they are drawn from. The goal of sampling is to select a sample that is representative of the population in order to make accurate generalizations. Internal validity refers to how well a study is conducted to eliminate alternative explanations for the observed effects. Sampling refers to the process of selecting participants for a study. A sampling frame is the list or population from which a sample is chosen.

Question 16

If you are interested in the shopping experiences of men at a furniture building supply shop and you choose your sample by interviewing men as they leave the shop on a Monday afternoon, what type of sampling are you conducting?
A) convenience sampling
B) snowball sampling
C) simple random sampling
D) systemic random sampling

Accepted Answer

This is convenience sampling because the researcher is only selecting participants who are convenient and accessible to them (those who happen to be leaving the shop at that specific time). It is not a representative sample of all men who shop at the furniture building supply shop.

Question 17

You are interested in the experiences of different ethnic groups within a particular neighborhood. You decide that even though the ethnic groups appear in different proportions within the neighborhood, you would like to randomly select participants in a way that will yield an equal percentage of each group represented in your final sample. What type of sampling are you proposing?
A) simple random sampling
B) proportional stratified sampling
C) disproportional stratified sampling
D) cluster sampling

Accepted Answer

Disproportional stratified sampling is used when a researcher wants to ensure that various subgroups (in this case, different ethnic groups) are represented equally in a study, regardless of their actual proportions in the population. This approach allows for equal representation of each group, which aligns with the described intention.

Question 18

Jamie is interested in the communication styles of a particular organization. She identifies a sample which includes half of the employees of the organization. In this case, all of the employees of the organization represent the ________________.
A) population
B) sample
C) data
D) sampling

Accepted Answer

The entire group of employees in the organization make up the population, while the subset of employees that Jamie has identified for her study represent a sample.

Question 19

_______________ is the process of identifying a subset of people or entities for a research project.
A) Validating
B) Researching
C) Sampling
D) Generalizing

Accepted Answer

Sampling is the process of selecting a subset of individuals or entities from a larger population to study. This is a crucial step in research as it helps to ensure that the findings can be generalized to the larger population. The sampling method used should be appropriate for the research question and should aim to minimize bias.

Question 20

You are conducting a research project in which you are interviewing bicyclists commuting to work. A motorist stops and inquires about also participating in the study. The motorist is not able to participate in your study because he is not part of the ________________.
A) sampling frame
B) exclusion frame
C) missing frame
D) foreign frame

Accepted Answer

The motorist is not part of the sampling frame, which is the defined population from which the sample is drawn for the research project. In this case, the sampling frame is bicyclists commuting to work, and the motorist does not fit that criteria.

Quiz 5: Sample Selection

Usually, a larger sample size _______________ the level of confidence.

A professor is interested in surveying the students of a college he divides up the students based on the major they have chosen. He then selects students randomly from each major while keeping the overall distribution of majors the same. What type of sampling has he just conducted?

The _____________________ most typical to research is 95%.

Proportionate stratified sampling and cluster sampling are both examples of __________________.

If your sampling frame fails to include people who are relevant to your research objective, these people are considered ________________.

In Mary's case, she must decide how many people to interview in order to be able to understand her research questions regarding recruiting and retaining volunteers. The group of people she selects is known as the ______________.

You are reading the newspaper and they report that there is a 90% chance of sun with a ±5% _________________.

Extreme case sampling is one form of __________________.

The _________________ is used to identify those individuals or entities that will make up the population.

A doctor is interested in surveying the patients of his practice. She collects their names and provides each patient name with a unique number. Then, she chooses her sample using a random number generator. What type of sampling has she just conducted?

You are performing a series of focus groups to understand the experience of people faced with a tax audit. Eventually you find that in every additional focus group you conduct, there are no new information that emerges. In other words, you have reached the ___________________.

The methods and techniques used to identify the sample are known as the ___________________.

Failure to appropriately determine the sampling frame could affect the __________________ of the research.

When selecting a sample, the researcher aims to draw conclusions about the whole population of interest. This is referred to as ____________________.

If you are interested in the shopping experiences of men at a furniture building supply shop and you choose your sample by interviewing men as they leave the shop on a Monday afternoon, what type of sampling are you conducting?

Jamie is interested in the communication styles of a particular organization. She identifies a sample which includes half of the employees of the organization. In this case, all of the employees of the organization represent the ________________.

_______________ is the process of identifying a subset of people or entities for a research project.

You are conducting a research project in which you are interviewing bicyclists commuting to work. A motorist stops and inquires about also participating in the study. The motorist is not able to participate in your study because he is not part of the ________________.