Generalization

The extent to which the observations or findings from a given study may also be true at other times or in other populations defined by age, residence, or any other distinctive set of characteristics.  Then there is an associated logical fallacy: the fallacy of hasty generalization.  This occurs when a conclusion about a population is drawn based on a sample that is not large enough to justify it (thus sometimes it is referred to as the fallacy of insufficient statistics).  The type of generalization considered should not be confused with stimulus generalization.       

See Attrition, Community survey, Ecological validity, External validity, Internal validity, Participant observation, Qualitative research, Quantitative research