Selecting

Research
Participants
✖ The population is the entire group that you want to draw conclusions about.
✖ The sample is the specific group of individuals that you will collect data from.
SAMPLING
✖ A Small chunk of population which will reflect the results of population.
✖ Results will be generalized to population
✖ Sample vs population?
✖ The term population means all members that meet a set of specifications or a
specified criterion
✖ Elements
✖ Census
✖ Sample
MAIN TYPES OF SAMPLING
✖ Probability sampling involves random selection, allowing you to make strong
statistical inferences about the whole group.

✖ Non-probability sampling involves non-random selection based on convenience

or other criteria, allowing you to easily collect data.
SIMPLE RANDOM SAMPLING
✖ In a simple random sample, every member of the population has an equal chance
of being selected. Your sampling frame should include the whole population.
✖ To conduct this type of sampling, you can use tools like random number
generators or other techniques that are based entirely on chance.

✖ Example: You want to select a simple random sample of 1000 employees of a

social media marketing company. You assign a number to every employee in the
company database from 1 to 1000, and use a random number generator to select
100 numbers.
 SYSTEMATIC SAMPLING
✖ Systematic sampling is similar to simple random sampling, but it is usually slightly
easier to conduct.
✖ Every member of the population is listed with a number, but instead of randomly
generating numbers, individuals are chosen at regular intervals.

✖ Example: All employees of the company are listed in alphabetical order. From the
first 10 numbers, you randomly select a starting point: number 6. From number 6
onwards, every 10th person on the list is selected (6, 16, 26, 36, and so on), and
you end up with a sample of 100 people.
 STRATIFIED SAMPLING
✖ Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subpopulations that may
differ in important ways.
✖ It allows you draw more precise conclusions by ensuring that every subgroup is
properly represented in the sample.
✖ To use this sampling method, you divide the population into subgroups (called
strata) based on the relevant characteristic (e.g., gender identity, age range,
income bracket, job role).
✖ Based on the overall proportions of the population, you calculate how many
people should be sampled from each subgroup. Then you use random or 
systematic sampling to select a sample from each subgroup.
✖ Example: The company has 800 female employees and 200 male employees. You
want to ensure that the sample reflects the gender balance of the company, so
you sort the population into two strata based on gender. Then you use random
sampling on each group, selecting 80 women and 20 men, which gives you a
representative sample of 100 people.
CLUSTER SAMPLING
✖ Cluster sampling also involves dividing the population into subgroups, but each
subgroup should have similar characteristics to the whole sample.
✖ Instead of sampling individuals from each subgroup, you randomly select entire
subgroups.
✖ If it is practically possible, you might include every individual from each sampled
cluster. If the clusters themselves are large, you can also sample individuals from
within each cluster using one of the techniques above. This is called multistage
sampling.
✖ It’s difficult to guarantee that the sampled clusters are really representative of the
whole population.
✖ Example: The company has offices in 10 cities across the country (all with roughly
the same number of employees in similar roles). You don’t have the capacity to
travel to every office to collect your data, so you use random sampling to select 3
offices – these are your clusters.
Non Probability
✖ Convenience Sampling
✖ Purposive Sampling
✖ Quota Sampling
✖ Snowball sampling
✖ Convenience Sampling: In this type of sampling, researchers prefer participants as
per their own convenience. The researcher selects the closest live persons as
respondents. In convenience sampling, subjects who are readily accessible or
available to the researcher are selected.
✖ For example, you will choose your classmates and friends for the study as per
your convenience. In other words, in this type of non-probability sampling
method, whoever meets the researcher qualifies to be the part of your sample.
Purposive Sampling
✖ In this type of sampling, the researcher chooses the participants as per
his/her own judgment, keeping back in mind the purpose of the study.
✖ It uses the judgment of an expert in selecting cases or it selects cases with a
specific purpose in mind.
✖ Purposes sampling is somewhat less costly, more readily accessible, more
convenient and select only those individual that are relevant to research design.
✖ For example: For studying attitude toward any national issue, a sample of
journalists, teachers and legislators may be selected for the study. They qualify to
be part of purposive sampling as they can more reasonably be expected to
represent the correct attitude than other class of people.
Quota Sampling
✖ In this sampling method, we pre-plan the number of participants in specified
categories (For example; 100 literates, 100 illiterate). You select your sample
according to some fixed quota. We allot shares to different groups (for example
100 men, 100 women).
✖ This type of sampling method may be further divided into uncontrolled quota
sampling and controlled quota sampling. In uncontrolled quota sampling, the
researcher selects the sample as per her own convenience.
✖ On the other side, some restrictions are imposed to limit researcher’s choice
in controlled quota sampling.
✖ This type of sampling is somehow related to stratified sampling. Make sure that
the sample represents each group or stratum of the population. Unlike the
stratified sampling, the researcher in quota sampling method selects the subjects
available immediately fulfilling the criteria.
Snowball Sampling
✖ Also called "chain referral sampling,” in this method, the sample is actually
collected in various stages. Snowball sampling which is a non-probability
sampling method is basically socio-metric in nature.
✖ It begins by the collection of data from one or more contacts usually known to the
person collecting the data.
✖ At the end of the data collection process (e.g., questionnaire, survey, or interview),
the data collector asks the respondent to provide contact information for
other potential respondents.
✖ These potential respondents are contacted, interviewed and further asked to
provide more contacts. This process goes on till the purpose of the
researcher is achieved.
SAMPLING ERROR
✖ Systematic sampling error
✖ Random sampling error
Case Analysis
✖ On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School
and began shooting teachers and students. Thirteen individuals died, and the
psychological community was again asked to explain such violent behavior. A
psychologist might decide to interview Columbine students to obtain their
perspectives on the factors that motivated the two young men to commit such a
horrendous act. A group of ten students has already decided to meet and discuss
the events of that day. The psychologist asks if it would be all right to attend the
meeting and ask them some questions. The students agree, and the psychologist
records their thoughts. Based on this information, the psychologist concludes that
a primary reason for the violent behavior was the peer dynamics in the school that
created groups of outcasts.
QUESTIONS
✖ Who appears to constitute the population of interest?
✖ Which type of sampling procedure best describes that used by the psychologist?
✖ What are the limitations of this sampling method, and in what specific ways could
the sampling method have affected the findings?
✖ What specific steps would you have taken to obtain a representative sample?