1. Unit 1 Research Methods (can be examined in Unit 1&2)
Sampling Methods
Unit 1 Research Methods (can be examined in Unit 1&2)

2. Specification:

3. Target Populations
Psychological research looks at how people behave in a certain situation. The target population is the group of people the researcher wants to study, e.g. women, 4-year olds, adopted children, prisoners etc.

4. The researcher cannot study everyone in the target population so studies a sample (a small group of people who represent the target population). It is important that the sample are representative (same characteristics and abilities) of the target population – if they are then the researcher can assume their behaviour matches the behaviour of the whole target population

5. There are 4 sampling methods you need to be aware of – what are they, advantages and disadvantages…

6. Sampling Methods: Opportunity Sampling Random Sampling
Stratified Sampling
Systematic Sampling

7. Methods
Advantages
Disadvantages
Random Sampling
Everyone has equal chance of being in the sample. Names out of a hat / computer programme?
No researcher bias
Time-consuming.
Might not be representative sample
Opportunity Sampling
Picking people available to help, e.g. university students
Quick and easy
Researcher bias
Participants could try to help the experimenter
Systematic Sampling
Picking every xth person
May not be a representative sample
Stratified Sampling
Split the target population into subgroups, e.g. prisoners might be split into sex, racial group etc then use random sampling to build a representative sample
Very representative
Time consuming

8. To do:
Go back to the key studies looked at so far – what type of sampling method was used? What possible effect might this have had on results? Add this to your evaluation of the study
Qs page 75