Sociology Reading Quiz 2

In recent years, sociologists who study deviance have learned that they can measure the quantities of narcotics consumed by a community by testing its sewage before treatment. What part of the research process would the sociologists be carrying out when they visit the sewage treatment plant to test its sewage? a. developing an operational definition b. forming a hypothesis c. analyzing data d. collecting data

collecting data

A sociologist wants to examine how the rich and poor are represented differently in children's movies. Which research method would be best suited for this study? a. content analysis b. experiment c. comparative historical d. focus group

content analysis

The analysis of documents such as medical records, photographs, diaries, letters, newspapers, and song lyrics comprises which of the following types of data? a. ethnographic field notes b. interview transcripts c. experimental data d. existing sources

existing sources

What is an advantage of replicability in experiments? a. experiments are extremely cheap b. experiments allow research participants to speak in their own voices c. experiments can be performed again and again over time in order to measure change d. each experiment is unique and illustrates something new

experiments can be performed again and again over time in order to measure change

Julie Bettie's ethnography Women without Class: Girls, Race, and Identity examined the role of race and class in the lives of girls in California's Central Valley. She did most of her work at a high school, hanging out with students and writing down her observations. What do ethnographers call her written observations? a. nonverbal communication b. interviews c. field notes d. representativeness

field notes

Why are social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter so existing to sociologists who study social networks? a. for the first time, sociologists can find out what young people's social networks look like b. for the first time, social networking sites offer sociologists a data set rich enough to test ideas that have previously only been theorized c. for the first time, sociologists do not have to spend the time and money to go talk to people and can do all their work from a computer d. for the first time, sociologists can track the spread of urban legends

for the first time, social networking sites offer sociologists a data set rich enough to test ideas that have previously only been theorized

If conducting research, what steps must you take to follow the scientific method? Identify them in the correct order in which you should do them. a. define variables, form a hypothesis, choose research design, review the literature b. form a hypothesis, define variables, choose research method, collect data c. form a hypothesis, choose research design, define variables, analyze data d. analyze data, form a hypothesis, choose research design, define variables

form a hypothesis, define variables, choose research method, collect data

Imagine that you are trying to rewrite a survey. You find a multiple-choice question that asks, "What is your favorite recreational activity?" and gives three response options: watching television, shopping, or sports. You add a fourth response option, "other", and invite respondents to write an activity of their choice. What kind of question have you just created? a. reductionist b. quantitative c. open-ended d. closed-ended

open-ended

What kind of question usually produces a wide variety of responses by allowing respondents to answer in whatever way seems appropriate to them? a. closed-ended b. leading c. double-barreled d. open-ended

open-ended

A social research methods class wants to study smoking. First, the professor asks how many people in the class are smokers. Two people indicate that they are. She then asks how many people have smoked a cigarette in the past week and ten people indicate that they have. The class decides, for the purposes of the survey, that a smoker will be defined as anyone who has smoked a cigarette in the past week and currently owns a pack of cigarettes. This is a a. ethical challenge b. hypothesis c. operational definition d. spurious correlation

operational definition

Which of the following research techniques focuses on gaining an insider's perspective of the everyday lives of participants under investigation, which often dispels stereotypes about the group being investigated? a. surveys b. analysis of existing data c. participant observation d. experiments

participant observation

A famous social scientist tells you that the most important task in her research was entering the social world of the people she was studying. What can you say about this researcher? a. she cannot use interviews as a methodology b. she exclusively uses quantitative methods c. she worries about ethical issues in her research d. she is a qualitative researcher

she is a qualitative researcher

Why must ethnographers using participant observation always be aware of reflexivity? a. ethnographers' conclusions may not be applicable to any larger group b. the presence of ethnographers may alter the behavior of the people they are observing c. participants may not consider their own motivations and act out of reflex d. ethnographers intervene in the lives of the people they are studying

the presence of ethnographers may alter the behavior of the people they are observing

Respondents are often more comfortable addressing sensitive subjects on surveys than in other research contexts because a. they know that their answers will only be analyzed statistically b. they know that many other people will answer the same questions c. they can answer in private and are usually assured anonymity d. surveys guarantee that their answers will be confidential, whereas other methods do not

they can answer in private and are usually assured anonymity

What is an advantage of using interviews as a research method? a. they allow the researcher to maintain strict control of the data-collection process b. they reveal attitudes and beliefs inaccessible by any other means c. they allow researchers to analyze data statistically and draw correlations d. they can affirm preconceptions and stereotypes

they reveal attitudes and beliefs inaccessible by any other means