Lesson 3.1.4.3.1

3.1.4.3.1 Target populations, samples and how to select them Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 4

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson 3.1.4.3.1, Target populations, samples and how to select them: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 4: Research methods, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. What does the term target population refer to in psychological research?

    • The selected sample
    • The pilot group
    • The control group
    • The wider group

  2. What term describes the group of participants selected from a target population?

    • Target population
    • Sample
    • Pilot group
    • Control group

  3. Why do researchers use a sample instead of testing an entire target population?

    • Increase validity
    • Reduce cost
    • Eliminate bias
    • Ensure accuracy

  4. A study investigates all UK 16-year-old students. What is this overall group called?

    • Target population
    • Volunteer group
    • Control group
    • Sample size

  5. A researcher tests 60 students to represent all UK 16-year-olds. What are these 60 students?

    • The experimental group
    • The control group
    • The target population
    • The sample

  6. Why must a sample be representative of the target population?

    • To reduce cost
    • To generalise results
    • To increase bias
    • To prove hypotheses

  7. What main issue occurs if a sample does not reflect the target population?

    • Lack of generalisability
    • Ethical issues
    • High validity
    • Demand characteristics

  8. What term describes applying findings from a sample to the wider target population?

    • Generalisation
    • Operationalisation
    • Randomisation
    • Standardisation

  9. What type of bias occurs when a study only uses willing volunteers as participants?

    • Observer bias
    • Gender bias
    • Cultural bias
    • Volunteer bias

  10. Which term describes the group that a sample is drawn from?

    • The independent variable
    • The sampling frame
    • The dependent variable
    • The null hypothesis

  11. How is a target population defined in psychological research?

    • By shared characteristics
    • By random selection
    • By participant choice
    • By ethical guidelines

  12. A sample has 80% females, but the target population has 50% females. What exists?

    • Sample bias
    • Random sampling
    • Observer bias
    • High validity

  13. Which option best represents a target population for a study on adult sleep?

    • All British adults
    • Fifty sleep patients
    • Ten local doctors
    • Twenty university students

  14. Why do researchers calculate required sample size before starting a study?

    • To plan resources
    • To ensure hypothesis
    • To remove ethics
    • To change variables

  15. Which term describes the group of participants who actually complete a study?

    • Sample
    • Target population
    • Sampling frame
    • Control condition

  16. What is the relationship between a target population and a sample?

    • Equal in size
    • Sample from population
    • Completely independent
    • Population from sample

  17. Testing students from just one lecture to represent all university students causes what issue?

    • High validity
    • Observer bias
    • Unrepresentative sample
    • Ethical issue

  18. Which sampling method ensures representation across an entire target population of children?

    • Volunteer sample
    • Random sample
    • Opportunity sample
    • Stratified sample

  19. Why is choosing a suitable sampling method important in psychological research?

    • Reduces study costs
    • Prevents ethical issues
    • Ensures representative results
    • Increases sample size

  20. What term describes the smaller group selected from a target population?

    • Strata
    • Sample
    • Pilot group
    • Variable

All AQA Psychology quizzes