Chapter 8

Population &
Sampling

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 Sampling
• Selecting a group
of people, events,
behaviors, or other
elements with which
to conduct a study.
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 Sample
• The selected group of
people (or elements)
from which data are
collected for a study.

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 Population
• The entire set of
individuals (or elements)
who (that) met the
sampling criteria.
• Also called target population

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 Accessible Population

• The portion of the target

population to which the
researcher has reasonable
access.

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 Element
• An individual unit of a
population.
• Person (subject)
• Event
• Behavior

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 Sampling Criteria
• The characteristics essential for
inclusion in the target population
• Between the ages of 18 and 45
• Ability to speak English
• Admitted for gall bladder surgery
• Diagnosed with diabetes
within last month

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 Representativeness

• The sample, the accessible

population, and the target
population are alike in as
many ways as possible.

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 Representativeness
• Needs to evaluate:
• Setting
• Characteristics of the subjects:
age, gender, ethnicity, income,
education
• Distribution of values on variables
measured in the study

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 Sampling Error
• Definition:
Difference between
the population mean &
the mean of the sample

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 Sampling Error
Sampling Error

Population Sample

Population Sample
Mean Mean
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 Sampling Error
• Random Variation
• The expected difference in values
that occurs when different subjects
from the same sample are examined.
• Difference is random because some
values will be higher and others
lower than the average population
values.

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 Sampling Error
• Systematic Variation (Bias)
• Consequence of selecting subjects
whose measurement values differ
in some specific way from those of
the population
• These values do not vary randomly
around the population mean

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 Sampling Frame
• A listing of every member of
the population, using the
sampling criteria to define
membership in the population.
• Subjects are selected from the
sampling frame.

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 Sampling Plan
• Outlines strategies used to
obtain a sample for a study:
• Probability sampling plans
• Nonprobability sampling
plans

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 Probability Sampling
• Simple Random Sampling
• Stratified Random
Sampling
• Cluster Sampling
• Systematic Sampling
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 Probability (Random)
Sampling Methods
• Simple Random Sampling
• Stratified Random Sampling
• Cluster Sampling
• Systematic Sampling
• Random Assignment to Groups

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 Nonprobability
(Nonrandom) Sampling

• Convenience (Accidental
Sampling)
• Quota Sampling
• Purposive Sampling
• Network Sampling

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 Factors Influencing Sample
Size

• Effect Size
• Type of Study Conducted
• Number of Variables
• Measurement Sensitivity
• Data Analysis Techniques

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 Power Analysis
• Standard Power of 0.8
• Level of Significance
• alpha = .05, .01, .001
• Effect Size
• .2 Small; .5 Medium; .8 Large
• Sample Size
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 Example Sample
• A convenient sample of 55 adults
scheduled for first-time elective CABG
surgery without cardiac catheterization,
who had not had other major surgery
within the previous year, and who were
not health professionals met the study
criteria and were randomly assigned to
one of two instruction conditions...

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 Example Sample
• Based on a formulation of 80%
power, a medium critical effect size
of 0.40 for each of the dependent
variables, and a significance level of
.05 for one-tailed t-tests means, a
sample size of 48 was deemed
sufficient to test the study
hypotheses...
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 Example Sample
• There were 21 men and 4
women in the preadmission
group; 2 subjects were
black...The majority (85%) of
the subjects in both groups
reported moderate incomes
(Rice et al., 1992)
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 Critiquing the Sample

• Identify the sample criteria

• Judge the appropriateness of
the sampling criteria
• Identify the sampling method
• Was the sample heterogeneous
or homogeneous?

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 Critiquing the Sample
• Was the sample size identified?
• Was the percent of subjects
consenting to participate
addressed?
• Was the sample mortality
identified?
• Was the sample size adequate?
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 Critiquing the Sample

• Did the researcher successfully

implement the sampling plan?
• How effective was the sampling
plan in achieving
representativeness?
• In what ways was the sample not
representative?
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 Critiquing the Sample

• Were there possibilities of

biases in the sample?
• Were subjects selected from
a sampling frame?
• Was random sampling used?

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 Critiquing the Sample

• Were any power analyses

reported?
• Is there a possibility of
a Type II error related
to any of the findings?

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