Which option best describes sampling bias?

Which option best describes sampling bias?

• A. A systematic error that occurs when sampling.
• B. When certain groups are over or under represented in the sample selected.
• C. The process of choosing participants.
• D. The extent to which findings and conclusions from a particular experiment can be broadly applied to the population.

Answer: (B)

Sampling bias is a systematic error that comes from how participants are chosen, causing certain groups to be overrepresented or underrepresented in the sample. When this happens, the sample doesn’t reflect the population, so the results can be distorted and not apply to everyone you’re studying. That’s why the best description is the one that specifically mentions over- or under-representation in the sample. The other options describe the general process of selecting participants, a general type of error without the focus on representation, or the issue of extending findings to the population (external validity), which isn’t the same as bias in how the sample was created.

Sampling bias is a systematic error that comes from how participants are chosen, causing certain groups to be overrepresented or underrepresented in the sample. When this happens, the sample doesn’t reflect the population, so the results can be distorted and not apply to everyone you’re studying. That’s why the best description is the one that specifically mentions over- or under-representation in the sample. The other options describe the general process of selecting participants, a general type of error without the focus on representation, or the issue of extending findings to the population (external validity), which isn’t the same as bias in how the sample was created.