Unit 1- Sampling methods

Opportunity sampling= is where a researcher decides to select anyone who is available and willing to participate in their study.

Random sample= all members of the target population have an equal chance of being selected)

Systematic sample= every nth member of the target population is selected.

Volunteer sample= participants select themselves to be part of the study.

Stratified sample= sub group is created based on age etc and then the population is randomly sampled within each group.

✅ This method is convenient as it saves time, effort and is less costly.

❌ sample is likely to be unrepresentative of the target population.

❌ The researcher has complete control over selection of participants, they may simply avoid people they don't like the look of (researcher bias)

❌ Very difficult and time consuming to conduct, A complete list of the target population may be extremely difficult to obtain.

❌ participants selected may refuse to take part.

✅ it is free from researcher bias . The researcher does not have an influence on who is being selected and who they think will fit their hypothesis

✅ it is usually a fair representative,

❌ If the sampling technique coincides with the frequency of the trait, the sampling technique is neither random nor representative.

✅ Avoid researcher bias. reseacher has no influence over who is chosen

✅ avoid researcher bias, the participant from the group is randomly selected

❌ can be very time-consuming dividing a sample into groups then randomly selecting from each

✅ produces a representative sample because it is designed to accurately reflect the population.

❌ requires a detailed knowledge of the population characteristics.

❌ will be bias and unrepresentative as volunteers tend to be a certain 'type of person'.

❌ this increases demand characteristics, participants may give answers to the extent they think is required.

✅ creating the sample requires little effort from the researchers