Abstract

ARGIBAY, Juan Carlos. The sample in quantitative research. Subj. procesos cogn. [online]. 2009, vol.13, n.1, pp.13-29. ISSN 1852-7310.

The following article deals with questions related to the subject of the sample in quantitative researches. It shows the requirements to consider a sample representative. Besides, the difference between probabilistic samples and not probabilistic ones is explained. Moreover, the practical matters which explain the often used incidental samples in research as well as how they can affect the external validity of the different sorts of quantitative research methods (or not) and which other resources can be used to minimize that problem are considered. The article also discusses how the size of the sample exceeds the subject of its representativeness and explains how this is related to methodological and statistical questions, why the number of people composing the sample is an important issue in different researches and how the size of the sample is connected with the statistical significance.

Keywords : Sample; Representative sample; Sample techniques; Size of sample; Design; Statistical significance.

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