Practice Test Geeks(FAST) Future Aptitude Selection Tool Practice Test
← All FAST Flashcard Decks

Sampling Methods and Design Flashcards

7 cards from real FAST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Sampling Methods and Design flashcards as text

  1. A sample statistic is used to estimate a population parameter. As sample size increases, what generally happens to the sampling error?

    Answer: It decreases

    Larger samples reduce sampling error because they provide more information and more closely approximate the population.

  2. In experimental design, a 'control group' serves what primary purpose?

    Answer: To provide a baseline for comparing the effect of the treatment

    A control group does not receive the treatment, establishing a baseline against which treatment effects can be measured.

  3. A study randomly assigns participants to treatment and control groups. What is the main advantage of random assignment?

    Answer: It helps balance known and unknown confounding variables across groups

    Random assignment distributes both known and unknown confounders roughly equally between groups, supporting causal inference.

  4. Which term describes a variable that is related to both the independent and dependent variables and may distort the apparent relationship between them?

    Answer: Confounder

    A confounder is a third variable that can create a spurious or masked association between the independent and dependent variables.

  5. A convenience sample drawn from one university cannot be generalized to all college students in the U.S. This limitation is a problem of:

    Answer: External validity

    External validity concerns whether findings can be generalized beyond the specific sample, setting, or time of the study.

  6. A researcher divides a city into blocks, randomly selects 20 blocks, and then interviews all residents within those blocks. This is best described as:

    Answer: Single-stage cluster sampling

    Single-stage cluster sampling randomly selects clusters and then surveys all members within those clusters.

  7. A study's results are said to have high internal validity when:

    Answer: Changes in the outcome can be attributed to the independent variable

    Internal validity refers to the degree to which a study establishes a causal relationship between the independent variable and the outcome.