Suppose that you are conducting a research project for a social psychology class. Due to the fact that you have no budget for the research, you are forced to rely on a college student population. How big of a problem is this in terms of your ability to later generalize your findings to other groups of people?
A) It is a very serious problem, for pretty much anything you are studying.
B) It is a very serious problem for most topics within social psychology (though not all).
C) It is a very serious problem if your sample size is under 1000; if your sample size is over 1000, however, it is not a serious problem.
D) It is an issue to pay attention to and take into consideration, but it is generally not a very serious problem unless you are studying certain topics (e.g., attitudes about aging or education).

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

While using a college student population may limit the generalizability of findings, it is not necessarily a serious problem unless the research topic specifically pertains to a group different from college students (e.g., older adults, individuals with certain medical conditions) or if the sample size is too small. However, it is important to consider external validity when interpreting results.

Suppose That You Are Conducting a Research Project for a Social