oversampling

n. a sampling strategy in which certain subsets of participants are overrepresented in a study group compared to the larger population from which they are drawn. Oversampling involves deliberately selecting greater numbers of such participants than would be obtained via random sampling so as to enhance the accuracy of parameter values estimated through statistical procedures. For example, a researcher selecting firefighters from a candidate pool might include equal numbers of males and females to ensure a sufficient sample of females for statistical analysis, even though males comprise the majority of firefighters in the pool.

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Psychology term of the day

February 17th 2025

sexually dimorphic nucleus

a nucleus of the central nervous system that differs in size between males and females. In humans, for example, a nucleus in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus that synthesizes gonadotropin-releasing hormone tends to be larger and more active in males than in females because gonadotropin release is continuous (it is cyclical in females). In songbirds whose males sing more than females, several brain nuclei associated with both song learning and song production are larger in males than in females.