(Description of respondents; criteria

for selection; sampling technique

employed; and Table 1. Distribution
of Respondents
Sampling Methods
Defining the Target Population
 It is critical to the success of the
research project to clearly define
the target population.

 Rely on logic and judgment.

 The population should be defined in

connection with the objectives of
the study.
Populations vs. Samples
 Who = Population:
 all individuals of interest
 US Voters, Dentists, College students, Children
 Problem: can’t study/survey whole pop
 Solution: Use a sample for the “who”
 subset, selected from population
 Why sampling?
Get information about large populations
 Less costs
 Less field time
 More accuracy i.e. Can Do A Better Job
of Data Collection
 When it’s impossible to study the whole
population
Probability versus Nonprobability
 Probability Samples: each member of
the population has a known non-zero
probability of being selected
 Methods include random sampling, systematic
sampling, and stratified sampling.

 Nonprobability Samples: members are

selected from the population in some
nonrandom manner
 Methods include convenience sampling,
judgment sampling, quota sampling, and
snowball sampling
Types of Sampling
 Simple Random Sample

 Stratified Random Sample

 Cluster sampling

 Systematic

 Convenience
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Simple Random Sample
 Every subset of a specified size n
from the population has an equal
chance of being selected

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Simple random sampling
 Stratified Random Sample

 The population is divided into two or more

groups called strata, according to some
criterion, such as geographic location, grade
level, age, or income, and subsamples are
randomly selected from each strata.

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 Systematic Sample
 Every N th member ( for example:
every 10th person) is selected from a
list of all population members.

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 Cluster sampling
Section 1 Section 2

Section 3

Section 5

Section 4
Convenience Sample
 Selection of whichever individuals are
easiest to reach
 It is done at the “convenience” of the
researcher

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Quota Sampling
 Quota sampling is the nonprobability
equivalent of stratified sampling.

 First identify the stratums and their

proportions as they are represented in
the population

 Then convenience or judgment sampling

is used to select the required number of
subjects from each stratum.
 Snowball Sampling
 Snowball sampling is a special nonprobability
method used when the desired sample
characteristic is rare.
 It may be extremely difficult or cost prohibitive
to locate respondents in these situations.
 This technique relies on referrals from initial
subjects to generate additional subjects.
 It lowers search costs; however, it introduces
bias because the technique itself reduces the
likelihood that the sample will represent a good
cross section from the population.
 Errors in Sampling
 Non-Observation Errors
 Sampling error: naturally occurs
 Coverage error: people sampled do not
match the population of interest
 Non-response: won’t or can’t
participate
 Systematic error (or bias)
Inaccurate response (information bias)
 Selection bias

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Errors of Observation
 Interview error- interaction between
interviewer and person being
surveyed
 Respondent error: respondents have
difficult time answering the question
 Measurement error: inaccurate
responses when person doesn’t
understand question or poorly
worded question
 Errors in data collection
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Respondents
 Respondents differ greatly in motivation
to answer correctly and in ability to do so.
 Obtaining an honest response to sensitive
questions is difficult.
 Basic errors
 Recall bias: simply does not remember
 Prestige bias: exaggerates to ‘look’ better
 Intentional deception: lying
 Incorrect measurement: does not understand
the units or definition
Let’s Practice.

A class wanted to raise money for their school trip. They

could raise money by selling raffle tickets for a Wii Game
System. Before they decide to have a raffle they wanted
to estimate how many students in the whole school
would buy a ticket. They decided to do a survey to find
out first. The school has 600 students in years 1–6 with
100 students in each year.

1. Raffi asked 60 of his friends. What do

you think of Raffi’s survey? Explain your
answer.
2. Adam asked all of the 100 children in
year 1. What do you think of Adam’s
survey? Explain your answer.

3. Shannon got the names of all 600

students in the school and put them in a
hat. Then she pulled out 60 names. What
do you think of Shannon’s survey? Explain
your answer.
 Solve for n, show your solution.
Use 0.05 margin of error. (5 pts.
each)

 N=835
 N=1500
 N=730
 N=2200
 N=980
Slovin’s Formula

Slovins's formula is used to

calculate an appropriate sample size
from a population. Statistics is a
way of looking at a population's
behavior by taking a sample. It's
usually impossible to survey every
member of a population because of
money or time.