OCU Statistics for Social Sciences Sample and Population Discussion

Sample and Population Discussion

Distinguish between a population and a sample to understand inferential statistics and deviation.
Most social science research is based on descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics organize and describe a collection of data. This is called a data set or data (Salkind & Frey, 2020). In inferential statistics we make inferences (thus the name inferential statistics) based on a smaller group of data about a larger group of data. Being able to make inferences about a larger group allows researchers to only collect data from smaller more manageable groups of people (Salkind & Frey, 2020).
Learning Activity #3: Sample and Population Discussion
We will discuss the terms sample and population. Consider the importance of selecting a sample that accurately represents the population.

• Read Chapter 1 of your text.
• Review the video about quantitative research. Research Methods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCiwyWD_Kk
• Review the video about statistics. What is Statistics: Crash Course Statistics #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxQaBpKfDRk&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtNM_Y-bUAhblSAdWRnmBUcr&index=3&t=0s
• Understanding the logic behind sampling is one of the simplest concepts, yet students have a very hard time grasping this until it clicks. Once you can see why it is important to select a representative sample, then you will wonder how you ever thought about it any other way. The biggest thing to think about is whether or not your sample truly represents the population to which you want to infer (or apply) your results.
• If you only sample people from your church, you can’t say that your results apply to the population of all the people in your city or even all churchgoing people in your city. All you can say is that the results apply to the people who attend your church. Why? Because the people in your church have certain characteristics, just by the nature of the culture of your church, that are different from any other population. My church is not the same as my mother-in-law’s church. My church is not the same as your church. Each one has a specific type of person that it attracts and a specific set of values that it instills, regardless of the fact that we are all Christian.
• These two pages from the Lumen Concepts in Statistics interactive digital textbook can be very helpful:
  • Sampling (1 of 2)
  • Sampling (2 of 2)
• Now that you’ve seen some of the questions that can be answered with statistics, consider a research project that you can conduct during this course.
  • What have you observed that you find interesting? What are you curious about? What question would you like to answer?
  • Describe the sample (group of people you can access) for your research study. What are the characteristics of the population that this sample represents? How do you know that this sample accurately represents the population you intend to apply your results to?
  • Textbook: Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics 7th edition
  • By: Neil J. Salkind & Bruce B. Frey