Intro to Soc, Chapter 2

What is the meaning of the term white coat effects in social research?

the impact researchers have on the people/relationships they study

Which of the following is the best example of a correlation?

People with higher levels of income tend to enjoy better overall health.

Which of the following might be an advantage of participant observation research?

The researcher can uncover what people do rather than simply what they say they do.

A moderating variable is a factor that:

affects the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.

When one factor is said to influence another factor, we refer to this as:

causality.

Harry's study compared how the posts on Craigslist of "men seeking women" differed from the posts of "women seeking men." What research method was Harry using when he compared how often men and women mentioned particular characteristics (e.g., attractive, sexy, athletic, professional, educated)?

content analysis

If Kate begins her research with a theory, then forms hypotheses and makes some observations, what method is she using?

deductive

Cole was involved in a research study to find out if a particular medicine was safe and could help prevent meningococcal disease in healthy teenagers. Some of the study participants received a shot with no medicine in it (a placebo), while other participants received a shot containing the medicine. Neither the doctor nor Cole would know what shots were being administered or whether Cole was in the experimental or control group. This type of study is known as a(n):

double-blind study.

The general approach to comparative research is to:

find cases that match on many potentially relevant dimensions yet vary on just one.

Although qualitative studies are rich in detail and offer an in-depth look at a particular population and/or phenomenon, due to their limited scope they sometimes suffer from low:

generalizability.

A testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables is called a(n):

hypothesis.

Georgia has volunteered at the local crisis center. While she is volunteering, she is given permission to "gather data" and ask the women about the circumstances surrounding their abuse. What method will Georgia most likely use?

interviews

If a field researcher cannot reveal that a study is being done for fear that this revelation might significantly affect the social processes being studied, he or she is finding out that:

it is sometimes difficult to follow the norms of voluntary participation and informed consent.

In social research, a hypothesis is a(n):

proposed relationship between two or more variables.

Interpretive sociologists examine meanings attached to behaviors. This most commonly leads them to use which of the following measures?

qualitative

The research method that uses information that can be converted to numerical form is:

quantitative.

The more consistent the results given by repeated measurements, the higher the ____________ of the measurement procedure (and vice versa).

reliability

The likelihood that a researcher will obtain the same result using the same measures the next time he or she tests a hypothesis is:

reliability.

How could you operationalize the variable "academic achievement"?

use overall GPA as a precise measure

All of the following are strengths of the case study method EXCEPT that it is:

useful for creating large-scale generalizations.