random sampling

a process for selecting a sample of study participants from a larger potential group of eligible individuals, such that each person has the same fixed probability of being included in the sample and some chance procedure is used to determine who specifically is chosen. A group selected in this way is known as a random sample. The main value of this form of probability sampling is its positive impact on generalizability and external validity.

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Psychology term of the day

January 23rd 2025

functional measurement

a procedure that measures the subjective experience of stimuli as that experience changes across different contexts. Two or more stimuli are presented in various combinations to an observer who assigns ratings to each. These ratings are then integrated according to a simple arithmetical law discovered by examining the way in which the observer’s ratings change when the combination of stimuli is changed.