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 poll is an investigation of all the individual elements that make up the population.
4. A bigger sample is needed if the elements of the population are quite diverse compared to if the
elements of the population are quite similar.
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 San Diego chapter of Notre Dame alumni is an example of a
sampling frame.
7. The sampling frame is also called the “working population.”
8. List brokers rent lists of names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of specific
populations.
9. A reverse directory provides, in a different format, the same information contained in a telephone
directory.
10. The availability of sampling frames is fairly consistent around the world.
11. A primary sampling unit (PSU) is a unit selected in the first stage of sampling.
12. As sample size decreases, random sampling error decreases.
13. Systematic errors are due to chance fluctuations.
14. Website Internet surveys use unrestricted samples.
15. A convenience sample is a type of probability sampling method.
16. Judgment sampling ensures that various subgroups of a population will be represented on pertinent
characteristics.
17. Snowball sampling involves using probability methods for an initial selection of respondents and then
obtaining additional respondents through information provided by the initial respondents.
18. Randomness characterizes a procedure whose outcome cannot be predicted because it depends on
chance.
19. A sampling procedure ensuring that each element in the population will have an equal chance of being
included in the sample is called simple random sampling.
20. Systematic sampling is a type of true random selection procedure.
21. In stratified sampling a subsample is drawn using judgment sampling within each stratum.
22. Stratified samples can be proportional or disproportional.
23. An area sample is the most popular type of stratified sample.
24. Multistage area sampling is a cluster sampling approach involving multiple steps.
25. The degree of accuracy required in sampling may vary form project to project.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A(n) _____ is a subset, or some part, of a larger population.
a.
slice
b.
census
c.
element
d.
sample
2. Which of the following refers to any complete group whose members share some common set of
characteristics?
a.
sample
b.
population
c.
stratum
d.
cluster
3. An investigation of all the individual elements that make up a population is called a(n)_____.
a.
enumeration
b.
census
c.
sample
d.
stratum
4. When a company decides to send an Internet survey to all of its 127-member sales force to determine
their morale, this is an example of a _____
a.
cluster sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
census
d.
sample
5. All of the following are reasons for using a sample EXCEPT _____.
a.
complete enumeration
b.
pragmatic reasons
c.
accurate and reliable results
d.
destruction of test units
6. 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
7. All of the following are stages in the selection of a sample EXCEPT _____.
a.
analyze data
b.
select a sampling frame
c.
determine sample size
d.
conduct fieldwork
8. A list of elements from which the sample may be drawn is called a _____.
a.
parameter list
b.
probability sample
c.
population parameter
d.
sampling frame
9. When 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
10. Which type of error occurs when certain sample elements are excluded or when the entire population is
not accurately represented in the sampling frame?
a.
Type I error
b.
sampling frame error
c.
statistical error
d.
list error
11. A telephone directory that lists the people in the phone book by their street address instead of by their
last name is called a _____.
a.
snowball directory
b.
inverse directory
c.
reverse directory
d.
sampling frame directory
12. Lists of respondents who have agreed to participate in marketing research along with the e-mail
contact information for these individuals are called _____.
a.
interactive samples
b.
online panels
c.
perpetual samples
d.
e-samples
13. Janet has agreed to participate in online research studies. She signed up to receive emails inviting her
to participate in various applied research studies, such as the one that asked her questions about dinner
preparation. Janet is part of a(n) _____.
a.
stratum
b.
cluster
c.
online panel
d.
scanner panel
14. 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
15. If Delta 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
_____.
a.
PSU
b.
census
c.
systematic samples
d.
secondary sampling units
16. 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
17. As sample size ______ , random sampling error ______.
a.
increases; increases
b.
decreases; decreases
c.
increases; decreases
d.
increase; remains unchanged
18. Which type of sampling error is primarily due to the nature of a study’s design and the correctness of
execution?
a.
random sampling error
b.
systematic sampling error
c.
primary sampling error
d.
secondary sampling error
19. Internet surveys probably should remain active for a minimum of _____ hours.
a.
5
b.
12
c.
24
d.
48
20. Claire has agreed to participate in surveys online. Every few weeks, she is sent an email requesting
her to participate in an online survey. What did Claire do to become involved in these research
studies?
a.
opted out
b.
opted in
c.
randomized herself
d.
met a quota
21. 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
22. When a researcher uses students to participate in a study because he has easy access to them, what type
of sampling procedure does this represent?
a.
judgment sample
b.
systematic sample
c.
snowball sample
d.
convenience sample
23. When a local television station sends a crew to interview joggers in the city park on a beautiful spring
day, this represents what type of sample?
a.
cluster sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
systematic sample
d.
convenience sample
24. Which of the following 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?
a.
area sample
b.
subjective sample
c.
stratified sample
d.
judgment sample
25. When 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, this is an example of what type of sample?
a.
judgment sample
b.
area sample
c.
cluster sample
d.
convenience sample
26. When the head of the marketing research department instructs field interviewers to interview parents at
a soccer tournament such that they each interview 10 truck owners, 10 SUV owners, 8 sedan owners,
and 4 owners of sports cars, this represents what type of sampling procedure?
a.
systematic sample
b.
quota sample
c.
area sample
d.
multistage sample
27. All of the following are advantages of quota sampling over probability sampling EXCEPT ____.
a.
lower cost
b.
convenience
c.
speed of data collection
d.
lower error
28. Which type of sampling procedure selects initial respondents using probability methods and selects
subsequent respondents from information provided by those initial respondents?
a.
snowball sample
b.
stepwise sample
c.
judgment sample
d.
secondary sampling
29. 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). 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 so that he can invite them to participate in the focus
group. These people, in turn, are each asked to suggest two others similar to themselves to participate
in the focus group study. This procedure represents what type of sampling procedure?
a.
stepwise sample
b.
judgment sample
c.
area sample
d.
snowball sample
30. 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
31. When a researcher puts the name of each person on 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, this is an example of what type of sampling procedure?
a.
judgment sample
b.
simple random sample
c.
stratified sample
d.
area sample
32. A sampling procedure in which a starting point is selected by a random process and then every nth
number on the list is selected is called a(n) _____.
a.
cluster sampling
b.
analytic sampling
c.
systematic sampling
d.
stratified sampling
33. If 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 using a
systematic sampling technique, after a random start, the researcher should select every ______ name
on the list.
a.
20th
b.
10th
c.
5th
d.
50th
34. In which type of sampling is a subsample drawn using simple random sampling within each stratum of
the population?
a.
cluster sampling
b.
stratified sampling
c.
systematic sampling
d.
convenience sampling
35. A stratified sample in which the number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is in proportion to
the population size of that stratum is called a(n) _____.
a.
proportional stratified sample
b.
balanced stratified sample
c.
even stratified sample
d.
primary stratified sample
36. A stratified sample in which the sample size for each stratum is allocated according to analytical
considerations is called a(n) _____.
a.
disproportional stratified sample
b.
unbalanced stratified sample
c.
secondary stratified sample
d.
analytical sample
37. If 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 research regarding a new shampoo,
what type of sampling procedure is being used?
a.
systematic sample
b.
simple random sample
c.
nonprobability sample
d.
cluster sample
38. Which sampling technique is an economically efficient sampling technique in which the primary
sampling unit is not the individual element in the population but a large cluster of elements?
a.
cluster sampling
b.
stratified sampling
c.
grouped sampling
d.
homogeneous sampling
39. If a national political pollster selects ten states randomly, 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, then randomly selects five households for door-to-door interviews
about their voting intentions in the next Presidential election, this is an example of what type of
sampling procedure?
a.
simple random sample
b.
multistage area sample
c.
systematic sample
d.
nonprobability sample
40. All of the following are common sampling criteria EXCEPT _____.
a.
degree of accuracy required
b.
size of the population
c.
resources available
d.
time available to conduct the research
COMPLETION
1. A small number of people who are a subset of the population of interest are known as a(n) ______ of
the population.
2. All of the retail stores nationwide of Sears Roebuck and Co. are the ______ of Sears’ stores.
3. When a researcher conducts personal interviews with 100 percent of the salespeople within his
organization, this type of study is a type of ______ study.
4. An error that occurs when certain sample elements are not listed or are not accurately represented in a
sampling frame is called _____ error.
5. When a telephone book database is re-arranged so that it is organized by phone number, instead of by
last name, this type of database is a type of ______ directory.
6. A(n) _____ consists of a list of e-mail addresses of individuals who have agreed to participate in
research surveys.
7. A unit that is selected in the first of several stages of sampling is called the ______.
8. The difference between the results of a sample and the results of a census that is conducted with
identical procedures is called ______ error.
9. When a research study has been poorly designed, it suffers from ______ error.
10. When an Internet user gives permission to Southwest Airlines to e-mail him special price promotions
as they are announced, the user has decided to ______for this type of database communication.
11. In _____ sampling, every element in the population has a known, nonzero probability of selection.
12. The sampling procedure of obtaining those people or units that are most conveniently available is
called _____ sampling.
13. When subjects are selected for a research study using judgment sampling, this represents a type of
______ sampling procedure.
14. _____ sampling is a nonprobability sampling procedure that ensures that various subgroups of a
population will be represented on pertinent characteristics to the exact extent that the investigator
desires.
15. When initial subjects are selected randomly and additional subjects are obtained from
recommendations of names from the initial subjects, this is a(n) ______ sampling technique.
16. Writing the names of the students in a class on separate sheets of paper, shuffling them thoroughly,
and then drawing five names “out of a hat,” is a type of ______ sample.
17. The sampling procedure in which a starting point is selected by a random process and then every nth
number on the list is selected is called _____ sampling.
18. In _____ sampling, a subsample is drawn using simple random sampling within each stratum.
19. A stratified sample in which the number of sampling units drawn from each stratum is in proportion to
the population size of that stratum is called a(n) _____ stratified sample.
20. A combination of two or more probability sampling techniques is called a(n) _____ sample.
ESSAY
1. Explain reasons for taking a sample rather than a complete census.
2. A smartphone manufacturer is conducting research regarding how smartphones are used in business.
Apply the stages the researcher should go through in the selection of a sample for this research study.
3. Compare and contrast random sampling error and systematic (nonsampling) error. How does the
researcher minimize these errors?
4. Name and describe the types of nonprobability sampling.
5. Name and describe the types of probability sampling.
6. Discuss the criteria researchers consider when deciding on the most appropriate sample design for a
specific project.