Final answer:
Convenience sampling is a nonrandom sampling technique where samples are selected based on accessibility, such as interviewing customers in a store or polling students in a specific course.
Step-by-step explanation:
Non-Random Sampling (Opportunistic Sampling)
Convenience sampling is a nonrandom method of selecting a sample from a population.
In this method, individuals are chosen based on their ease of access rather than being randomly selected.
For example, interviewing customers in a software store or polling students in an introductory psychology course are instances of convenience sampling.
This approach is generally more straightforward and less expensive than random sampling methods, which include simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling.
However, convenience sampling is prone to bias, as it may not accurately represent the entire population.
Implications of using convenience sampling include increased risk of selection bias and the potential to yield unrepresentative data.
Researchers might use this method when resources are limited or when a precise level of representation is not critical to the study's goals.
Yet, it is crucial to acknowledge that the results from convenience sampling cannot be reliably generalized to the broader population due to the lack of randomness in sample selection.