Quiz Question ch. 8 Experiments

The degree of resemblance between sample groups in an experiment achieved by probability sampling is largely a function of _______.

A. sample Size

B. randomness

C. matching

D. validity

A. CORRECT - A probability sample of less than 100 is not likely to be representative of the sampling frame we have derived from the population under study. It is important in probability sampling that the groups represent the sampling frame, and therefore it is not good choice to use probability sampling when dealing with a small amount of test subjects.

B. INCORRECT- randomness is not an immediate concern of probability sampling, the main concern is that the samples represent the population under study which can be achieved through a large sample size.

C. INCORRECT- matching is a way to achieve comparability between the experimental group and the control group and is not the main function of probability sampling.

D. INCORRECT - Validity refers to the extent to which we are actually testing what we want to test in our experiment. It is of the utmost important that all studies are valid but it is not what determined whether or not probability sampling will be effective.