Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

Who Participates in Research

Article Link: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/05/weird_psychology_social_science_researchers_rely_too_much_on_western_college.html

The article discusses whether college students, who disproportionately make up most research study volunteers, are representative of the population and whether the social sciences rely on them too much.

1. Why are college students more likely to participate in research than other people?
    
2. Recruiting college students at your campus is an example of which type of sampling technique?
    

Snowball Sampling

Article Link: https://explorable.com/snowball-sampling

The article discusses snowball sampling and techniques used in snowball sampling.

1. What is a snowball sample? Why do researchers use a snowball sample?
    
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of snowball sampling?
    

Sampling Methods

Article Link: http://www.simplypsychology.org/sampling.html

The article discusses different types of sampling methods.

1. What is random sampling? Is it possible to do random sampling?
    
2. Give an example of each type of sampling method.
    

Ethical and Practical Considerations of Paying Research Participants

Article Link: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/assets/docs/ethical_and_practical_considerations_of_paying_research_participants_508.pdf

PowerPoint slides provide examples of research studies that pay participants and how monetary incentives affect response rates and willingness to participate. It discusses ethical considerations of paying participants.

1. Why do researchers pay participants money to participate in research? Contrast this with college students?
    
2. What are some ethical concerns with paying participants? Can these concerns affect the results of the study?
    

Under the Hood of Mechanical TURK

Article Link: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/under-the-hood-of-mechanical-turk#.WKvF2_krLIU

Article discusses the launch and use of Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to recruit participants for research studies.

1. What are the advantages of using MTurk compared to traditional participant recruitment?
    
2. What are some concerns that researchers should have when using online surveys and MTurk?