Need seious help with sample distr vs sampling distribution?

[Mari]

Hi I am taking a soc methods course and am having some serious problems figuring this out and remembering it from last semester stats. Can someone tell me if these answers are correct. I am lost b/w the difference of a Sample distribution and sampling distribution?
Here are my questions and answers I am trying but feel lost
Q 1-Why is the width of a SAMPLE distribution approximately the same as the width of the population distribution?
A: Because the sample dist. will always look like that of the population.

Q2: Why is the width of a SAMPLING distr. usually a whole lot smaller?
A: Think it's because they will cluster around the mean ??

Q3: As the sample size increases what happens to
a) the width of the SAMPLE distribution?
Stays the same
b) the width of the SAMPLING distribution?
The width is inverse and decreases
I remember also that as the Standard Error goes up the SD goes down and that that Sampling distributions are normally distributed but this didn't answer any of the questions.
Any help would be great My last years texts are no help. Thanks so much

 

[tridelta246]

Re: Need seious help with sample distr vs sampling distribut

Hi I am taking a soc methods course and am having some serious problems figuring this out and remembering it from last semester stats. Can someone tell me if these answers are correct. I am lost b/w the difference of a Sample distribution and sampling distribution?
Here are my questions and answers I am trying but feel lost
Q 1-Why is the width of a SAMPLE distribution approximately the same as the width of the population distribution?
A: Because the sample dist. will always look like that of the population.

Q2: Why is the width of a SAMPLING distr. usually a whole lot smaller?
A: Think it's because they will cluster around the mean ??

Q3: As the sample size increases what happens to
a) the width of the SAMPLE distribution?
Stays the same
b) the width of the SAMPLING distribution?
The width is inverse and decreases
I remember also that as the Standard Error goes up the SD goes down and that that Sampling distributions are normally distributed but this didn't answer any of the questions.
Any help would be great My last years texts are no help. Thanks so much

Your term "SAMPLING" distribution is not a standard term. However, it appears you mean the distribution of SAMPLE MEANS (sample averages). Your answers are nearly correct. The SAMPLE distribution is just that of a given sample and will look like the Population distribution. The distribution of SAMPLE MEANS (possibly what you mean by "sampling" distribution) is more tightly clustered about the Population mean, has a standard deviation (measure of width) inversely proportional with sqrt(N), and will have a smaller width than the Population distribution.