Which concept involves participants being randomly selected to represent a larger population?

• A. Random sample
• B. Population
• C. Field Research
• D. Validity

Answer: (A)

Random sampling means selecting participants in a way that gives every member of the larger population an equal chance of being included. This equal chance helps the sample resemble the whole population, which makes it possible to generalize findings beyond the group studied and reduces selection bias. The population is the entire group you want to learn about, not the method of selection; field research is a data collection approach used in real-world settings; and validity is about whether the study actually measures what it intends to measure and draws accurate conclusions. For example, polling a city’s residents through random sampling yields results that more accurately reflect the city as a whole than if you only interviewed people who are easy to reach.