Sampling: Importance, challenges, and validity
Not what you're looking for?
What is the purpose of sampling? What are some concerns and dangers of sampling? How important is the sample design to data validity? Explain. Provide an example where a sample might misrepresent data validity.
Purchase this Solution
Solution Preview
Ultimately when we conduct a study, we want to draw conclusions about our population. If you're developing a program to help people stop smoking, you hope it will work for all smokers. If you're developing a new type of contact lens that will be more comfortable, you hope it will be more comfortable for all people who wear contact lenses. That being said, it's not very feasible to track down every contact lens wearer (or smoker) in the province/country/world. It would take far too much time and money! So instead, we collect data on a sample of people that we've selected from that population of people who live in our province/country/world. We then generalize the results from that sample to our population. As long as we've drawn a sample of people who represent our population well, we should expect that our findings will generalize well to the population; that is, that people in our population who weren't in our sample will respond in the same way that people in our sample did. So basically, we ...
Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Measures of Central Tendency
This quiz evaluates the students understanding of the measures of central tendency seen in statistics. This quiz is specifically designed to incorporate the measures of central tendency as they relate to psychological research.
Terms and Definitions for Statistics
This quiz covers basic terms and definitions of statistics.
Measures of Central Tendency
Tests knowledge of the three main measures of central tendency, including some simple calculation questions.
Know Your Statistical Concepts
Each question is a choice-summary multiple choice question that presents you with a statistical concept and then 4 numbered statements. You must decide which (if any) of the numbered statements is/are true as they relate to the statistical concept.