What Are Samples?

The term target population refers to:

• The list a researcher chooses names from

• A small group selected for study

• The whole group a sociologist wants to study

• A quota of interviewees set in advance

For a sample to be representative it must reflect the make-up of the:

• Sampling frame

• Target population

• Local telephone directory

• Researcher’s timetable

A sampling frame is best described as:

• The list from which the sample is actually selected

• A hidden group of outsiders

• A method that uses pure chance

• The total number of interviews completed

In a random sample:

• Every tenth name on a list is chosen

• The researcher sets sex-and-age quotas first

• Participants are picked because they are handy

• Every person in the target population has an equal chance of selection

Selecting every tenth student on the school roll is an example of:

• Random sampling

• Opportunity sampling

• Systematic sampling

• Snowball sampling

In quota sampling the researcher:

• Ensures a set number of people from particular categories are included

• Chooses every nth name on a list

• Uses one contact to introduce another

• Works only with volunteers passing by

Snowball sampling is especially useful when studying:

• Primary-school pupils

• Hard-to-reach outsider groups such as criminals

• Nationally representative electorates

• Large companies’ payrolls

When a researcher simply takes whoever is available and willing, this is called:

• Quota sampling

• Random sampling

• Opportunity (convenience) sampling

• Systematic sampling

Using a telephone directory as a sampling frame can be problematic because it:

• Supplies too many mobile numbers

• Lists names alphabetically

• Includes duplicate entries

• Excludes anyone whose number is unlisted, so the sample may miss parts of the population

Sociologists rely on samples rather than studying whole populations mainly because samples are:

• Always more valid

• Manageable in time, cost and access

• Guaranteed to be representative

• Automatically approved by ethics boards