What is a sample in research?

What is a sample in research?

• A. A subset of the population that is actually studied.
• B. The entire population.
• C. A theoretical group.
• D. A selected research question.

Answer: (A)

A sample is a subset of the population that is actually studied. In research, you start with a broader group you’re interested in—the population—but it’s usually not feasible to study everyone. So you select a smaller group, the sample, to collect data. The aim is for the sample to resemble the population in key ways (such as demographics or behaviors) so you can extend what you find to the whole group. The other ideas don’t fit as the definition of a sample: the entire population is the full group of interest, not a smaller studied subset; a theoretical group is a concept used in theory rather than an actual set of participants; and a selected research question concerns what you study, not who you study.

A sample is a subset of the population that is actually studied. In research, you start with a broader group you’re interested in—the population—but it’s usually not feasible to study everyone. So you select a smaller group, the sample, to collect data. The aim is for the sample to resemble the population in key ways (such as demographics or behaviors) so you can extend what you find to the whole group.

The other ideas don’t fit as the definition of a sample: the entire population is the full group of interest, not a smaller studied subset; a theoretical group is a concept used in theory rather than an actual set of participants; and a selected research question concerns what you study, not who you study.