A researcher wanted to investigate whether walking in a natural environment improves cognitive focus more than walking on an indoor treadmill.
The researcher used a matched-pairs design. To recruit participants, she stood outside the university library on a Monday morning and selected the first 24 students who agreed to take part. Each student was matched on their baseline cognitive focus score and then assigned to one of two groups.
All participants were asked to maintain their usual sleep and dietary habits for the 2-week duration of the study. At the end of the two weeks, all participants completed a computerized concentration test to measure their post-study cognitive focus.
Question: Identify the type of sampling method used in this study. Explain one limitation of using this sampling method in this investigation.
689 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Scientific processes. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.