Chapter 2: Methods

The research process includes many steps. place the following steps I order from first to last.

conceptualization, operationalization, observation, analysis

Select bolder phrases that represent examples of correlation.

younger teachers often gave homework; Students who are quiet and pay attention tend to do better on my tests.

Identify whether or not the following statements are theories.

Theories: Social movements thrive in environments where there are resources available to key actors. : Society is a highly complex, balance system in which each part works to contribute to the whole. Not theories: The rate of maternal mentality is higher in the United States than in other developed countries. : having a social support network lessens the likelihood that people who lose their job will become unemployed.

What is the function of historical methods of research?

They draw on written materials from an earlier historical time.

Place the questions in order to show how an initially vague question Is gradually or find one that is precise and answerable.

: Is TV bad for kids? :Is TV bad for US middle school students? :Is watching network TV for more than an hour a day bad for middle school students in the United States? : has watching network TV for more than an hour a day lower the grade point average of middle school students in the United States?

Place following events pertaining to the census chronological order.

:The Census Bureau began using sampling to estimate the unemployment rate. : The census long form was used to collect additional information on about 5% of the population. : The Census Bureau discovered that it had been under counting the population by 1.2%. : The city of Detroit sued the federal government to require that the census adjust population figures based on overcount estimates. : The US Supreme Court ruled that Census Bureau could not use sampling to adjust its population counts.

What is the definition of a hypothesis for the purposes of social research?

A proposed relationship between two variables, usually with a stated direction.

Identify the finding of Ann Morning's 2004 content analysis study of 92 high-school textbooks in biology and the social sciences.

Finding(s): Biology texts still used a traditional conception of race. : The majority of texts did not overtly critique the traditional concept of race. Not Finding(s): Social science texts treated race as a constructed concept, with no biological basis.

A researcher is trying to estimate how long is a nomadic tribe has lived in its present location. Identify each measurement outcome as describing either high validity or high reliability

High Validity: When asked how long the tribe has lived in the area, tribe members give answers that vary somewhat, but average out to the true answer. : Age test on artifacts said to date from the tribe's arrival in the area produce a range of results. The average is very close to the tribes actual length of stay.

What is the function of comparative research?

It examines two or more entities in order to learn more about how and why they differ.

Identify methods Sandra Harding propose to mark so ion logical research distinctly feminist.

Method(s): Be aware of the power imbalance between researcher and research subject. : Treat women's experience as a legitimate source of empirical and theoretical information. : Seems ways of practicing sociology that will bring about policy change helpful to woman. Not Method(s): Focus on the ways women's experiences differ from those of men. : Ensure that sample populations for research have a balance of men and women.

Identify the factors needed to establish causality between variables A and B.

Necessary factor(s): Time order, correlation, and elimination of alternative explanations.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about operationalization.

Operationalization is an important step in the research process. It involves deciding how a concept gets defined and measured. For example, researchers wishing to study academic success might use GPA to study this topic.

Identify whether or not the following operationalizations of the concept of educated.

Operationalization(s): can pass a standardized literacy test :has a high school diploma or GED equivalent Not Operationalization(s): Masters the essential core subjects such as math, science, :history and has read a lot of classics and we're literature

Identify whether or not the following studies are considered as panel surveys.

Panel Survey(s): a survey of young woman conducted with the same sample every year. : a longitudinal survey of older Americans. Not Panel Survey(s): a survey of college students conducted in 2019. : a cross-sectional survey of US adults.

Identify the problems in this research design. (Americans' opinions on gun ownership)

Problem(s): generalizability, validity Not Problem(s): reliability

Identify the examples of protected populations, who studies often requires an extra level of approval.

Protected Population(s): People with disabilities, prisoners, minors Not Protected Population(s): ethnic minorities

Identify the reasons why the process used in the US Census is politically important.

Reason(s): Census results affect the distribution of federal funds to state and municipal agencies. : Census results are used to decide representation in Congress. : Census results can influence tax policies. Not Reason(s): Census results are used to determine admission quote as a public universities.

Identify the reasons why some city officials institutions advocate using sampling to adjust official census counts.

Reason(s): evidence suggests that the senses under counts the US population by 1.2%. : evidence suggests that the senses under counsel some populations, such as African-Americans, more than others. Not Reason(s):Evidence suggest that some groups are overcounted by the census. : evidence suggest that the rural areas are undercounted in the census.

Identify the reasons why sharing results is important, according to Duneier.

Reason(s):Feedback from the study subjects gives Duneier further insight into his results. :Duneier feels he owes it to people to explain what he learned from his time with them. Not Reason(s): The process allows Duneier to double-check that his presence did not influence the behavior of the people who studied. : The process punisher that study subjects or feel comfortable with the way they are portrayed. Not reason(s):

In his sociological study, Duncan wants identified factors that contribute to the success of pop songs. Suppose you were the head of a book publishing company and want to apply wants findings regarding music to your own industry. Identify the stuff she would take.

Step(s): Seek book recommendations from celebrities. : Encourage book clubs to adopt the books you publish. Not Step(s): rely on word-of-mouth marketing to produce a best seller. : hide book rankings, so readers are incentivized to try new selections.

What is the definition of a hypothesis for the purposes of social research?

a proposed relationship between two variables, usually with a stated direction

In the figure, which of the three boxes represents the selection of a hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis?

ideas

Selection bias can be avoided by making sure the sample size large enough.

False.

Classify each statement as either an advantage of Lamont's approach or an advantage of surveys.

Advantage of in-depth interviews: The study design allows researchers to study not only with a subject said, but how they expressed it. :The study design gives study subjects time to open up about difficult topics. Advantage of surveys: The study design permits, Paris sons between two or more groups of subjects using the same metric. : The study design permits collections of data on a large sample of subjects.

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about a particular type of research.

Content analysis, a subtype of historical methods research, does systematic analysis on written or recorded material. It looks for manifest content, which is overt, and also latent content, which is implied though not stated outright.

What type of study survey all sample members only once?

Cross-sectional study

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage.

Danah Boyd's research is unique because it conducts research and select subjects online and follows up with off-line interviews. This allows her to identify clicks not identified by other researchers, and to distinguish the difference between exes and outcast.

Identify the data used in Jill Quadagno's study of how America's developed into a country with a weak welfare state.

Data Used: newspaper articles and congressional records Not Data Used: census data and legal records from European countries

Identify the decisions that Duneier made in an attempt to avoid exploiting his participants.

Decision(s): He shared they output of his research with his participants before it was published. : He remained in contact with the people he researched. Not Decision(s): He made his research subjects coauthors on his book. : He helped his research subjects make more money from their small businesses.

Identify the examples of an experimental study.

Example(s): It was such a deliberately drops a while in a public place and observes reactions of passerby. : A researcher compares the attitudes of two focus groups after each group watches a corporate training video. One video is narrated by a male voice, and the other, by a female voice.

Identify the example of a case study

Examples: A two-week study in which researcher accompanies a single doctor on her rounds. : A two-year study of economic activity in a village of 150 people Not Examples: A two-month study of how fashion trends in several major US cities : A two-day, telephone base political opinion poll for 350 randomly selected US households

Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about the participant observation method of data collection.

Participant observation tries to find out what meanings people give to their social behavior by observing it in Real time, rather than by asking questions later on in an artificial setting... however, this method requires the researcher to invest time at the start of the study to become an excepted member of the community.

Identify each research method as either qualitative or quantitative

Qualitative: An observer takes notes on the nonverbal behavior of members of a focus group for car commercials. : each person at a gathering of academics is invited to talk about his or her political views. Quantitative: Each person in a sample group is recorded as being either a US citizen or a citizen of another country. : The number of people in a large gathering is recorded.

Identify the scenarios in which A might be correlated with B.

Scenario(s): C causes both A and B. : A causes B. : B causes A. Not Scenario(s): A and B are unrelated.

A doctor surmises that the patient's elevated stress level is causing high blood pressure and, separately, sleeplessness. Suppose that instead, the patient's lack of sleep (due to hormonal imbalance) is causing elevated stress, which in turn leads to high blood pressure. Which relationship will be a case of reverse causation?

the relationship between stress level and sleep pattern.

What is a common goal of qualitative and and quantitative research?

to determine the casual relationships between social elements