probability sampling

any process in which a sample of participants or cases is chosen from a larger group in such a way that each one has a known (or calculable) likelihood of being included. This requires a well-defined population and an objective selection procedure, as in random sampling. Additionally, all members of the population must have some (i.e., nonzero) chance of being selected, although this probability need not be the same for all individuals. Compare nonprobability sampling.

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Psychology term of the day

December 23rd 2024

factor theory

in classical test theory, the supposition that a set of correlated variables can be reduced to a smaller set of underlying dimensions or factors. It follows that each person’s observed score can be represented by a factor loading times a factor plus error variance.