A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

In Chaney et al. (2004), the sampling method utilized was randomness, meaning that participants were chosen in such a way that every member of the target population had an equal chance of being selected. This method is effective in ensuring that the sample is representative and reduces biases that can affect the outcomes of the study, enhancing the validity of the results.

In this specific research, which focused on the use of a funhaler (a device designed to encourage children to take their asthma medication correctly), the random sampling allowed for a diverse group of participants that closely represented the general population affected by asthma. This is crucial for drawing more generalized conclusions from the research findings.

The other sampling methods listed—such as stratified sampling, volunteer sampling, and systematic sampling—each have different characteristics. Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subgroups and sampling from these groups proportionately, while volunteer sampling relies on individuals opting in to be part of the study. Systematic sampling means selecting participants at regular intervals from a predefined list, which can introduce periodic biases depending on how the list is ordered. However, these methods were not utilized in the Chaney et al. study, making random sampling the correct choice in this context.