What is the 'college sophomore problem'?

• A. College sophomores are the subjects in an extremely large amount of psychological investigations, generality is in question
• B. College freshmen dominate studies
• C. Senior students are usually the subjects
• D. Graduate students are the subjects

Answer: (A)

The college sophomore problem centers on the practice of using college sophomores as the typical participants in psychological research. This creates a very narrow, homogeneous sample, often consisting of young, educated, mostly Western students. Because the participants don’t reflect the broader population, questions arise about whether the findings can be generalized to people of different ages, backgrounds, or life circumstances. That concern about generalizability, or external validity, is what the term nails.

So the statement that college sophomores are the subjects in a large amount of investigations, making generality questionable, is the best choice because it captures the core issue: a ubiquitous, convenience sample that may limit how widely results apply. The other options point to different groups, but they’re not the focus of this concept; the problem isn’t about freshmen, seniors, or graduate students being the subjects, but about the heavy use of sophomores and the generalizability risk that comes with that practice.