Chapter 12—Sampling Designs and Sampling Procedures
TRUE/FALSE
1. Sampling involves using a small number of people in the target market to make conclusions about the
entire target market population.
2. A census is any complete group whose members share some common set of characteristics.
3. A canvas is an investigation of all the individual elements that make up the population.
4. Larger samples allow conclusions to be drawn with more confidence that they truly represent the
population.
5. The first stage in the selection of a sample is to determine the sampling frame.
6. A list of all of the members of the Atlanta chapter of the American Psychological Association is an
example of a sampling frame.
7. A sampling frame is also called a “working population.“
8. List brokers rent lists of names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of specific
populations.
9. A reverse telephone directory provides the same information contained in a telephone directory, but in
a different format.
10. Sampling frames are consistent available around the world.
11. The individual element in a final cluster sample is called the primary sampling unit (PSU).
12. As sample size decreases, random sampling error decreases.
13. If individuals do not opt in to receive e-mail from a particular organization, they may consider
unsolicited survey requests to be spam.
14. When a nonprobability sample is used, there are no appropriate statistical techniques for measurement
of random sampling error.
15. A convenience sample is a type of probability sample.
16. Judgment sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique in which an experienced individual selects
the sample based on his or her judgment about some appropriate characteristics required of the sample
member.
17. Trickle-down sampling involves using probability methods for an initial selection of respondents and
then obtaining additional respondents through information provided by the initial respondents.
18. As used in sampling theory, the term random refers to the distribution of sample data.
19. Simple random sampling ensures that each element in the population will have an equal chance of
being included in the sample.
20. Systematic sampling can, under certain conditions, yield a random sample.
21. In stratified sampling, a subsample is drawn using judgment sampling within each stratum.
22. The most popular type of cluster sample is the area sample.
23. Multistage area sampling uses cluster sampling in combination with other random sampling
procedures.
24. One advantage of a convenience sample is that there is no need for a population list.
25. Multistage samples are frequently used due to their low cost.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A company decides to send an Internet survey to all of its 127-member sales force to determine their
morale. This is a ____.
a.
cluster sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
census
d.
sample
2. When a researcher has made the decision to conduct a survey using a sample of the population, the
FIRST step in the selection of the sample is to ____.
a.
define the target population
b.
determine the sample size
c.
select the actual sampling units
d.
select a sampling frame
3. All of the following are stages in the selection of a sample EXCEPT to ____.
a.
analyze data
b.
select a sampling frame
c.
determine sample size
d.
conduct fieldwork
4. A researcher wants to study the members of the American Marketing Association and selects a sample
from its membership list. The membership list is an example of a ____.
a.
reverse directory
b.
sampling frame
c.
systematic sampling list
d.
census
5. Which type of error occurs when potential respondents are improperly excluded before the sample is
taken?
a.
Type I error
b.
sampling frame error
c.
statistical error
d.
list error
6. A telephone directory that lists the people in the phone book by their street address instead of by their
last name is a type of ____.
a.
snowball directory
b.
inverse directory
c.
reverse directory
d.
sampling frame directory
7. Lists of respondents who have agreed to participate in marketing research along with their e-mail
contact information are called ____.
a.
interactive samples
b.
online panels
c.
perpetual samples
d.
e-samples
8. A single element or group of elements that is eligible for selection via the sampling process is called a
____.
a.
sampling panel
b.
sampling unit
c.
sampling error
d.
sampling quota
9. If Northwest Airlines selects randomly a set of 40 flights on a given day, and then selects randomly a
group of ten passengers on each of these flights to participate in an in-flight survey, the passengers are
best referred to as a ____.
a.
PSU
b.
census
c.
systematic sample
d.
secondary sampling unit
10. The difference between the sample result and the result of an accurate census is called ____.
a.
random sampling error
b.
systematic sampling error
c.
primary sampling error
d.
secondary sampling error
11. As sample size ____, random sampling error ____.
a.
increases; increases
b.
decreases; decreases
c.
increases; decreases
d.
increase; remains unchanged
12. Which type of sampling error is primarily due to the nature of a study’s design and the correctness of
study execution?
a.
random sampling error
b.
systematic sampling error
c.
primary sampling error
d.
secondary sampling error
13. Janet has agreed to participate in surveys online. Every few weeks, she is sent an email asking her to
participate in an online survey. What did Janet most likely do to become involved in these research
studies?
a.
opted out
b.
opted in
c.
randomized herself
d.
met a quota
14. In which type of sampling does every element in the population have a known, nonzero probability of
selection?
a.
absolute sampling
b.
relative sampling
c.
nonprobability sampling
d.
probability sampling
15. When a researcher uses students to participate in a study because he has easy access to them, what type
of sampling procedure is being used?
a.
judgment sampling
b.
systematic sampling
c.
snowball sampling
d.
convenience sampling
16. When a local television station sends a crew to interview joggers in the city park on a beautiful spring
day, what type of sample is being used?
a.
cluster sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
systematic sample
d.
convenience sample
17. Which technique uses nonprobability sampling, in which an experienced individual selects the sample
based on his or her judgment about some appropriate characteristics required of the sample member?
a.
area sample
b.
subjective sample
c.
stratified sample
d.
judgment sample
18. A marketing vice-president tells the marketing department to schedule a test market in Dallas because
he feels that this city is “typical” of the composition of the target market for a new product nationally.
The vice president is asking for a(n) ____.
a.
judgment sample
b.
area sample
c.
cluster sample
d.
convenience sample
19. The head of the marketing research department instructs field interviewers to interview owners of
DVD players in a shopping mall such that they each interview 10 Sony owners, 8 Panasonic owners, 6
Toshiba owners, and 4 owners of other brands. Which type of sampling procedure is being used?
a.
systematic sample
b.
quota sample
c.
area sample
d.
multistage sample
20. Which statement comparing quota sampling with probability sampling is true?
a.
Quota sampling typically costs less than probability sampling.
b.
Quota sampling is typically less convenient for researchers than is probability sampling.
c.
A study using quota sampling will typically take substantially more time to complete.
d.
Quota sampling generally provides a more random sample than probability sampling.
21. A marketing researcher wants to put together four focus groups of 18-24 year-old males who are “heavy
downloaders of music” (defined as downloading 50 songs per month). Instead of asking people at a
shopping mall whether they download music from the Internet, he finds one person in the target
market who qualifies, and then asks that person to suggest the names of two other males between the
ages of 18-24 who download music. The researcher will invite those two to participate in the focus
group, and then they are each asked to suggest two others similar to themselves to participate in the
focus group study. This procedure describes a ____.
a.
stepwise sample
b.
judgment sample
c.
area sample
d.
snowball sample
22. A sampling procedure that assures each element in the population of an equal chance of being included
in the sample is called ____.
a.
simple random sampling
b.
primary random sampling
c.
primary sampling
d.
stratified sampling
23. A researcher puts the name of each person in a sampling frame list on a 3″ x 5″ card, shuffles the cards
thoroughly, and then selects 35 names from the top of the pile of cards for a phone interview study.
What type of sampling procedure is being used?
a.
judgment sample
b.
simple random sample
c.
stratified sample
d.
area sample
24. A researcher wants to select 50 customers from a sampling frame of 250 customers who have
purchased at least $10,000 worth of products from his company within the past six months. The
researcher wants to use a systematic sampling technique. After randomly selecting a starting point, the
researcher should select every ____ name on the list.
a.
20th
b.
10th
c.
5th
d.
50th
25. In which type of sampling is a subsample drawn using simple random sampling within each stratum?
a.
cluster sampling
b.
stratified sampling
c.
systematic sampling
d.
convenience sampling
26. A researcher is interested in studying attitudes about raw milk sales and has reason to believe that
urban, suburban, and rural groups will vary in their responses. The researcher knows that the
population being studied is 50% urban, 40% suburban, and 20% rural. She classifies the potential
participants as urban, suburban, or rural residents, and then, for a sample totaling 100, randomly
selects 50 individuals from the urban group, 40 from the suburban group, and 20 from the rural group.
The researcher is using a(n) ____.
a.
proportional stratified sample
b.
balanced stratified sample
c.
even stratified sample
d.
primary stratified sample
27. A researcher for Procter & Gamble selects five states randomly, and then selects 10 supermarket
chains within each of these states to call for a phone survey for a test market of a new shampoo. Which
type of sampling procedure is being used?
a.
systematic sample
b.
simple random sample
c.
nonprobability sample
d.
cluster sample
28. A national political pollster randomly selects ten states, then randomly selects five counties within
each state, then randomly selects five voting precincts within these counties, then randomly selects
five blocks within these precincts, and finally, randomly selects five households for door-to-door
interviews about their voting intentions in the next Presidential election. This is best called a(n) ____.
a.
simple random sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
systematic sample
d.
nonprobability sample
29. Which type of nonprobability sampling technique is used in the Consumer Price Index?
a.
convenience
b.
judgment
c.
cluster
d.
stratified
30. Which probability sampling technique is economically efficient and uses a group of elements as the
primary sampling unit?
a.
simple random
b.
snowball
c.
cluster
d.
quota
COMPLETION
1. A(n) ____________________ is a subset of some larger population that is measured or observed in
some way to infer what the entire population is like.
2. All of the retail stores nationwide of Sears Roebuck and Co. form the ____________________ of
Sears’ stores.
3. When a researcher conducts personal interviews with 100 percent of the salespeople within his
organization, the researcher is using a(n) ____________________.
4. When some elements of the target population are omitted from the list of elements,
____________________ error may occur.
5. When a telephone book database is re-arranged so that it is organized by phone number instead of by
last name, a ____________________ directory has been created.
6. A unit that is selected in the first stage of a multi-stage sampling procedure is called the
____________________.
7. The difference between the results of a sample and the results of a census that is conducted with
identical procedures is called ____________________ error.
8. When a research study has been poorly designed, it is likely to be affected by ____________________
error.
9. When an Internet user gives permission to Southwest Airlines to e-mail special price promotions as
they are announced, the user has decided to ____________________ for this type of database
communication.
10. The sampling procedure involving the use of those people or units that are most readily available is
called ____________________ sampling.
11. Judgment sampling is a type of ____________________ sampling.
12. ____________________ sampling is a nonprobability sampling procedure that ensures that various
subgroups of a population will be represented to the extent that the investigator desires.
13. When initial subjects are selected randomly and additional subjects are obtained from
recommendations of names from the initial subjects, the ____________________ sampling technique
is being used.
14. Writing the names of the students in a class on separate sheets of paper, shuffling the papers
thoroughly, and then drawing five names “out of a hat,” is a type of ____________________ sample.
15. When a sample is drawn using combination of two or more probability sampling techniques, a(n)
____________________ sample is being drawn.
ESSAY
1. Explain reasons for why taking a sample might be preferred to taking a complete census.
2. List the stages in the selection of a sample.
3. Compare and contrast random sampling and systematic (nonsampling) errors.
4. Name and describe the types of nonprobability sampling.
5. Name and describe the types of probability sampling.