Sociology, Ch 2.2

What type of data do surveys gather? For what topics would surveys be the best research method? What drawbacks might you expect to encounter when using a survey?

A survey is a data collection tool used to gather information about individuals. Surveys are commonly used in psychology research to collect self-report data from study participants. A survey may focus on factual information about individuals, or it might aim to obtain the opinions of the survey takers.

challenges of surveys

Can be time consuming Can be difficult to encourage participant response Captures what people think and believe but not necessarily how they behave in real life

challenges of secondary data analysis

Data could be focused on a purpose other than yours Data can be hard to find

challenges of experiments

Hawthorne Effect (people change how they act when they know they are being watched) Ethical concerns about people's wellbeing

advantages of secondary data analysis

Makes good use of previous sociological information

advantages of experiments

Tests cause and effect relationships

challenges of field work

Time consuming Data captures how people behave but not what they think and believe Qualitative data is difficult to organize

advantages of field work

Yields detailed, accurate real-life information

Advantages of surveys

Yields many responses Can survey a large sample Quantitative data are easy to chart

population

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

interview

a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject

random sample

a study's participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population

Which research approach is best suited to the scientific method? a. Questionnaire b. Case study c. Ethnography d. Secondary data analysis

a. Questionnaire

The main difference between ethnography and other types of participant observation is: a. ethnography isn't based on hypothesis testing b. ethnography subjects are unaware they're being studied c. ethnographic studies always involve minority ethnic groups d. ethnography focuses on how subjects view themselves in relationship to the community

a. ethnography isn't based on hypothesis testing

Using secondary data is considered an unobtrusive or ________ research method. a. nonreactive b. nonparticipatory c. nonrestrictive d. nonconfrontive

a. nonreactive

content analysis

applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand

Which materials are considered secondary data? a. Photos and letters given to you by another person b. Books and articles written by other authors about their studies c. Information that you have gathered and now have included in your results d. Responses from participants whom you both surveyed and interviewed

b. Books and articles written by other authors about their studies

Which best describes the results of a case study? a It produces more reliable results than other methods because of its depth b. Its results are not generally applicable c. It relies solely on secondary data analysis d. All of the above

b. Its results are not generally applicable

What research method did John S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd mainly use in their Middletown study? a. Secondary data b. Survey c. Participant observation d. Experiment

c. Participant observation

What method did researchers John Mihelich and John Papineau use to study Parrotheads? a. Survey b. Experiment c. Web Ethnography d. Case study

c. Web Ethnography

surveys

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about behaviors and opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire

qualitative data

comprise information that is subjective and often based on what is seen in a natural setting

Why is choosing a random sample an effective way to select participants? a. Participants do not know they are part of a study b. The researcher has no control over who is in the study c. It is larger than an ordinary sample d. Everyone has the same chance of being part of the study

d. Everyone has the same chance of being part of the study

primary data

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

field research

gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a survey

case study

in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual

ethnography

observing a complete social setting and all that it entails

quantitative data

represent research collected in numerical form that can be counted

samples

small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population

experiment

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

secondary data analysis

using data collected by others but applying new interpretations

nonreactive research

using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and will not alter or influence people's behaviors

correlation

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does not necessarily indicate causation

participant observation

when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective

Hawthorne effect

when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher