Question

How does the sample size affect the validity of an empirical​ argument? A. The larger the sample size the better. B. The smaller the sample size the better. C. The sample size is not relevant if it is greater than 30. D. The sample size is not relevant if it is greater than 50.

Answer 1

A. The larger the sample size the better.

Explanation:

Central Limit Theorem

The Central Limit Theorem establishes that, for a normally distributed random variable X, with mean
`\mu` and standard deviation
`\sigma`, the sampling distribution of the sample means with size n can be approximated to a normal distribution with mean
`\mu` and standard deviation
`s = (\sigma)/(√(n))`.

For a skewed variable, the Central Limit Theorem can also be applied, as long as n is at least 30.

For a proportion p in a sample of size n, the sampling distribution of the sample proportion will be approximately normal with mean
`\mu = p` and standard deviation
`s = \sqrt{(p(1-p))/(n)}`

In this question:

We have to look at the standard error, which is:

`s = (\sigma)/(√(n))`

This means that an increase in the sample size reduces the standard error, and thus, the larger the sample size the better, and the correct answer is given by option a.