Babbie Chp. 7 Nonprobability Sampling

Convenience or haphazard sampling is another name for what type of nonprobability sampling technique?
A) reliance on available subjects
B) purposive or judgmental sampling
C) snowball sampling
D) quota sampling
E) none of the above

















A) Correct! Relying on available subjects is sometimes called convenience or haphazard sampling. An example of reliance on available subjects is stopping people at a street corner.

B) Wrong! Purposive or judgmental sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling in which the units to be observed are selected on the basis of the researcher's judgment about which ones will be the most useful or representative. This would be selecting a sample on the basis of knowledge of a population.

C) Wrong! Snowball sampling is a nonprobability sampling method often employed in field research whereby each person interviewed may be asked to suggest additional people for interviewing. It is also known as a form of accidental sampling. This is used when members of a special population are difficult to locate, like homeless.

D) Wrong! Quota sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of prespecified characteristics, so that the total sample will have the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.

E) Wrong! Reliance on available subjects is the correct answer!