Chapter 4

Which of the following employs the nomothetic model of explanation?

An isolation of the three most important reasons as to why men were selected to all the leadership positions at a former women's college that went coed.

Which of the following hypotheses best fits the criteria of causality?

As education increases, income tends to increase even after controlling for gender and race.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Being arrested is a necessary cause for having a criminal trial.

Which one of the following is the BEST example of the ecological fallacy?

Felisha studied Census tracts for her study on crime, but then wrote up her conclusions in terms of individuals.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a cross-sectional study?

It concentrates on the changes that take place among a specific sample over a period of time

This is a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected from the same set of people at several points in time.

Panel study

Which one of the following is the best example of reductionism?

Roberto explained suicide entirely in terms of psychological factor

Explanatory studies are designed to find answers to which of the following questions?

Why are people changing careers in midlife?

Sampling is a way to learn about ______ by obtaining information from _______ of a larger population.

a larger population; a subset

The final stage of the research process involves:

application.

Yugorsky studied five fifth-grade classes over three years to determine how friendship patterns established in the fifth grade affected friendship patterns in the eighth grade. He studied the same group of students over time, but not necessarily the same individuals. Which design did he use?

cohort

Which of the following designs uncovers only net changes?

cohort and trend studies

A study in which some specific subpopulation is studied over time, although data may be collected from different members in each set of observations.

cohort study

Once you have a well-defined purpose for your study and a clear description of the kinds of outcomes you want to achieve, the next step in your research design is:

conceptualization.

This describes an empirical relationship between two variables such that changes in one are associated with changes in the other or particular attributes of one variable are associated with particular attributes of the other.

correlation

This type of research design examines a phenomena at a single point in time:

cross-sectional

Which one of the following designs is the most likely to be used for descriptive purposes?

cross-sectional

This is a study based on observations representing a single point in time.

cross-sectional study

A single U.S. Census exemplifies a:

cross-sectional study.

The topic of surrogate mothers interested Professor Snyder. Snyder read the available materials on the topic and wanted to develop an age, education, and income profile of women who serve as surrogate mothers in the United States. To develop this profile, Snyder should undertake a(n):

descriptive study.

If a researcher wanted to know why there was a noticeable increase in the number of burglaries in the town of Southpaw during 2005, the researcher should design a(n):

explanatory study.

Professor Dooley examined the literature on AIDS and could find nothing that examined children's attitudes toward parents and friends with AIDS. To examine this topic, Dooley should undertake a(n):

exploratory study.

The purpose of the literature review is to:

familiarize the reader about the topic and what is known about it

Ricardo studied married couples in order to see if length of marriage affected the nature and quality of communication patterns. Which unit of analysis did he use?

group

Professor Root was studying the arrest rates for drunken driving in urban and rural areas of Ohio. It was found that the arrest rate was higher in the rural areas. Professor Root concluded that people who live in rural areas are more likely to drive while intoxicated than are people who live in urban areas. Root's conclusion:

illustrates the ecological fallacy.

A study design involving the collection of data at different points in time.

longitudinal study

In order to receive an honorable or dishonorable discharge from the military, you must be in the military. In terms of the discharge type, being in the military is a(n): Correct!

necessary cause.

The period of a research study in which data is actually collected is what step?

observation

Attrition of study participants is most critical for which of the following designs?

panel

Research studies that follow the same people at different times, collecting data at specified intervals, are what kind of study?

panel

Margot wants to examine how student nurses change in their orientation towards patients over the course of their three years in nursing school. She is particularly concerned with following changes within the same individuals. It would be best to use a:

panel study

Professor Stone designs a study to examine the effect of a teenage pregnancy on young women's career choices. Stone wants to interview a sample of teenage women during their pregnancy, after the baby's birth, and once a year after that for a ten year period. Stone is using a:

panel study

The smaller group that is selected from a larger one for closer study in research is the:

sample

This is a paradigm based in the view that social behavior can be explained solely in terms of genetic characteristics and behavior.

sociobiology

The positive relationship between shoe size and IQ is what kind of relationship

spurious

There is a strong correlation between the number of firefighters that show up at a fire and the amount of damage produced by the fire. The size of the fire influences both the number of firefighters and the amount of damage. This illustrates that the relationship between the number of firefighters and the amount of damage is:

spurious.

Which of the following research studies would be considered a cohort study?

surveying teenagers now, then 20 year olds in a decade, then 30 year olds a decade after that

Descriptive studies DO NOT:

tell why something occurred

For a causal relationship to exist there must be evidence:

that one variable precedes the other in time, that the two variables are correlated and that this relationship is not spurious.

Correlation between two variables means that:

the dependent variable changes proportionally with the independent one.

Spurious relationships are relevant for which criterion for establishing nomothetic causality?

the effect cannot be explained in terms of some third variable

A researcher examined newspaper editorials that focused on the Patriot's Act. She examined the editorials published in the major newspapers in major cities in the United States. The unit of analysis was:

the newspaper editorials.

Operationalization is:

the procedures which we go through to identify and measure variables

If a researcher was conducting a study of women's attitudes toward abortion, the unit of analysis would be:

the women

Longitudinal studies are particularly useful for addressing which criterion for establishing causality?

time order

Exploratory studies are done for all EXCEPT which one of the following purposes?

to sort out the ethical implications of a study

Senator Robertson wants to know how voter interest in issues in his district has changed over time. It would be best to use a:

trend study

To look at changes in the average age of marriage for men and women in the United States, Professor Torme studied the U.S. Censuses over a period of decades. Torme was doing a(n):

trend study

The ecological fallacy is most relevant in terms of which one of the following?

units of analysis

Professor King examined all the reasons given by 50 couples for their marriages. In the final research report, King listed all the reasons given by the 100 people for their marriages. Professor King is:

using an idiographic explanation for marriage