Question

Identify the sampling techniques used, and discuss potential sources of bias (if any). Assume the population of interest is the student body at a university. Questioning students as they leave an academic building, a researcher asks 341 students about their eating habits.
1. What type of sampling is used?

a. Systematic sampling is used, because students are selected from a list, with a fixed interval between students on the list.
b. Cluster sampling is used because students are divided into groups, groups are chosen at random, and every student in one of those groups is sampled.
c. Simple random sampling is used because students are chosen at random.
d. Stratified sampling is used because students are divided into groups, and students are chosen at random from these groups.
e. Convenience sampling is used because students are chosen due to convenience of location.

2. What potential sources of bias are present if any. Select all that apply.

a. University students may not be representative of all people in their age group.
b. The sample only consists of members of the population that are easy to get. These members may not be representative of the population.
c. Because of the personal nature of the question, students may not answer honestly.
d. There are no potential sources of bias.

Answer 1

Answer:

1.  e. Convenience sampling is used because students are chosen due to convenience of location.

2. a. University students may not be representative of all people in their age group.

Step-by-step explanation:

Samples may be classified as:

Convenient: Sample drawn from a conveniently available pool.

Random: Basically, put all the options into a hat and drawn some of them.

Systematic: Every kth element is taken. For example, you want to survey something on the street, you interview every 5th person, for example.

Cluster: Divides population into groups, called clusters, and each element in the cluster is surveyed.

Stratified: Also divides the population into groups. However, then only some elements of the group are surveyed.

Questioning students as they leave an academic building, a researcher asks 341 students about their eating habits.

Students sampled as they leave the build, which is convenience, in this case convenience of location, which means that the correct answer to question 1 is given by option e.

2. What potential sources of bias are present if any. Select all that apply.

Only members of one group are asked(university students), and this may not be representative of the rest of the population, which means that the correct answer to question 2 is given by option a.