Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
A sample refers to a smaller group of individuals that are selected from a larger population in order to represent and generalize findings about the entire population.
A representative sample accurately reflects the characteristics and diversity of the population being studied.
Random Sampling: Random sampling involves selecting participants for a study in such a way that each individual in the population has an equal chance of being chosen.
Sampling bias occurs when certain individuals or groups have a higher or lower chance of being selected for the study, leading to results that may not be representative of the overall population.