random sample

Psychology

(noun)

A smaller subset of a population of individuals or things in which every characteristic present in the population has an equal chance of being represented.

Related Terms

  • Statistics and Parameters
  • population
  • parameter
  • statistics
  • sample
Statistics

(noun)

a sample randomly taken from an investigated population

Related Terms

  • population
  • independent sample

Examples of random sample in the following topics:

  • Random Sampling

    • A random sample, also called a probability sample, is taken when each individual has an equal probability of being chosen for the sample.
    • A simple random sample (SRS) is one of the most typical ways.
    • Simple random samples are not perfect and should not always be used.
    • At this stage, a simple random sample would be chosen from each stratum and combined to form the full sample.
    • Categorize a random sample as a simple random sample, a stratified random sample, a cluster sample, or a systematic sample
  • Random Samples

    • A simple random sample is a subset of individuals chosen from a larger set (a population).
    • A simple random sample is an unbiased surveying technique.
    • Simple random sampling is a basic type of sampling, since it can be a component of other more complex sampling methods.
    • Although simple random sampling can be conducted with replacement instead, this is less common and would normally be described more fully as simple random sampling with replacement.
    • Conceptually, simple random sampling is the simplest of the probability sampling techniques.
  • Three sampling methods (special topic)

    • Here we consider three random sampling techniques: simple, strati ed, and cluster sampling.
    • Simple random sampling is probably the most intuitive form of random sampling.
    • Cluster sampling is much like a two-stage simple random sample.
    • Then we sample a fixed number of clusters and collect a simple random sample within each cluster.
    • Examples of simple random, stratified, and cluster sampling.
  • Inferential Statistics

    • The most straightforward is simple random sampling.
    • Was the sample picked by simple random sampling?
    • Sometimes it is not feasible to build a sample using simple random sampling.
    • This random division of the sample into two groups is called random assignment.
    • Since simple random sampling often does not ensure a representative sample, a sampling method called stratified random sampling is sometimes used to make the sample more representative of the population.
  • Samples

    • The best way to avoid a biased or unrepresentative sample is to select a random sample, also known as a probability sample.
    • A random sample is defined as a sample wherein each individual member of the population has a known, non-zero chance of being selected as part of the sample.
    • Several types of random samples are simple random samples, systematic samples, stratified random samples, and cluster random samples.
    • A sample that is not random is called a non-random sample, or a non-probability sampling.
    • Some examples of nonrandom samples are convenience samples, judgment samples, and quota samples.
  • Summary

    • Each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected- Sampling Methods
  • Lab 2: Sampling Experiment

    • The student will demonstrate the simple random, systematic, stratified, and cluster sampling techniques.
    • In this lab, you will be asked to pick several random samples.
    • In each case, describe your procedure briefly, including how you might have used the random number generator, and then list the restaurants in the sample you obtained
    • Pick a stratified sample, by city, of 20 restaurants.
    • Pick a cluster sample of restaurants from two cities.
  • Chance Error and Bias

    • In sampling, there are two main types of error: systematic errors (or biases) and random errors (or chance errors).
    • Random sampling is used to ensure that a sample is truly representative of the entire population.
    • Random error always exists.
    • The size of the random error, however, can generally be controlled by taking a large enough random sample from the population.
    • It results in a biased sample, a non-random sample of a population in which all individuals, or instances, were not equally likely to have been selected.
  • Sampling Techniques

    • In a simple random sample (SRS) of a given size, all such subsets of the frame are given an equal probability.
    • However, SRS can be vulnerable to sampling error because the randomness of the selection may result in a sample that doesn't reflect the makeup of the population.
    • As long as the starting point is randomized, systematic sampling is a type of probability sampling.
    • In this way, researchers can draw inferences about specific subgroups that may be lost in a more generalized random sample.
    • In quota sampling the selection of the sample is non-random.
  • Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem

    • The central limit theorem for sample means states that as larger samples are drawn, the sample means form their own normal distribution.
    • In its common form, the random variables must be identically distributed.
    • Suppose we are interested in the sample average of these random variables.
    • The sample means are generated using a random number generator, which draws numbers between 1 and 100 from a uniform probability distribution.
    • Illustrate that as the sample size gets larger, the sampling distribution approaches normality
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