Sampling bias is a bias in which a sample is collected in such a way that some members of the intended population have a lower or higher sampling probability than others. It results in a biased sample of a population in which all individuals, or instances, were not equally likely to have been selected.
See the friendship paradox, where it is observed that on average, an individual’s friends have more friends than that individual, is an example of the friendship paradox.
Subtopics
- consent bias - participants choose whether or not they take part in the experiment
- selection bias - a systematic tendency to exclude or include one type of person from the sample
- survivor bias - when only certain types of participants finish the study
- adherer - when participants who adhere to a study protocol or intervention differ from those who do not adhere
- social desirability bias: people may not tell the truth for questions like “do you use drugs”
See Also
- convenience sampling - when are drawn from that part of the population that is close to hand