InQuizitive Ch. 2

In this interview with Dalton Conley, ethnographer Mitchell Duneier discusses his practice of sharing the results of his research with the people he has studied. What two reasons does Duneier give to explain why this sharing is important? a. Duneier feels he owes it to people to explain what he learned from his time with them b. feedback from the study subjects gives Duneier further insight into his results c. the process will ensure that study subjects will feel comfortable with the way they are portrayed d. the process allows Duneier to double-check that his presence did not influence the behavior of the people he studied

a, b

Michèle Lamont interviewed more than 160 upper-middle-class men in France and the United States about their tastes and values. She conversed with each subject in open-ended fashion about his views on what is important in life. What are the advantages of this kind of research technique? a. extended interviews give subjects time to open up about difficult topics b. the interview format gives subjects a chance to say things the interviewer may not have known to ask about c. the study design permits the collection of data on a large sample population d. the interview format facilitates comparisons across two or more different interview subjects or groups of subjects

a, b

Which of the items correctly describe how power influences research and research findings? a. research requires money. those who control the funding control what gets studied. b. the rich have more power than the poor to control the conditions under which they are studied c. graduate students and junior faculty have to worry about staying on good terms with senior faculty. this can influence research choices d. some research problems are more amenable to scientific investigation than others e. it is easier to generate interest in simple and controversial topics than in drier, more complex ones

a, b, c

Which of the items correctly explains why the process used in the U.S. Census is politically important? a. census results affect the distribution of federal funds to state and municipal agencies b. census results are used to decide representation in Congress c. Census results can influence tax policies d. census results are used to determine admission quotes at public universities

a, b, c

Sandra Harding proposes three ways to make sociological research distinctly feminist. What are they? a. seek ways of practicing sociology that will bring about policy changes helpful to women b. be aware of the power imbalance between researcher and research subject c. focus on the ways women's experiences differ from those of men d. ensure that sample populations for research have a balance of men and women e. treat women's experiences as a legitimate source of empirical and theoretical information

a, b, e

Which of the following were among Ann Morning's findings (2004) when she did a content analysis study of 92 high-school textbooks in biology and the social sciences? a. biology texts still used a traditional conception of race b. social science texts treated race as a constructed concept, with no biological basis c. the majority of texts did not overtly critique the traditional concept of race

a, c

Which of the following would be considered a case study? a. a two-year study of economic activity in a village of 150 people b. a two-month study of fashion trends in several major U.S. cities c. a two-week study in which a researcher accompanies a single doctor on her rounds d, a two-day, telephone-based political opinion poll of 350 randomly selected U.S. households

a, c

A sociologist wants to determine how people who shop at a particular grocery store decide what to buy. Match each research design to the potential problem with it. a. experimenter effects b. variables poorly operationalized c. study ethically questionable 1. a researcher dressed as a store employee asks people what products they'd like to see stocked 2. based on observation, the researcher will classify shoppers as "hunters" or "browsers" 3. a hidden camera films shoppers as they react to a potentially offensive store display

a-1, b-2, c-3

What is a common goal of qualitative and quantitative research? a. to determine which of all possible social arrangements work bet b. to determine the casual relationships between social elements c. to find out what people's behaviors mean to them d. to model sociological investigation on the methods of the natural sciences

b

What is the current process used in the U.S. Census to collect data on the U.S. population? a. a good-faith effort is made to survey all citizens, and then statistical analysis is used to correct the data for known undercounting b. a best-possible effort is made to survey all citizens. statistical analysis of the results is used to adjust procedures for the next census, a decade later c. a best-possible effort is made to survey all citizens. by legal order, no statistical analysis of under- or over counting is permitted

b

What is the definition of a hypothesis? a. a systemic account of how multiple variables are connected b. a proposed relationship between two variables c. an observed correlation d. an educated guess

b

What is the definition of historical methods of research? a. they study earlier societies using methods that would have been available at the time b. they draw on written materials from an earlier historical time c. they make comparisons between the past and the present

b

Which of the following is a reason why social science is so difficult? a. sociologists are not allowed to make inferences about casual relationships b. the reality being studied changes as its studied c. social scientists have a hard time obtaining grants for their research

b

Which of the following are examples of the experimental method? a. a researcher sifts through data about divorce rates and gas prices, looking for a correlation b. a researcher compares the attitudes of two focus groups after each group watches a corporate training video. one video has a sexist content and the other does not c. a researcher deliberately drops a wallet in a public place and observes the reactions of passersby d. a researcher poses as a store clerk and documents several varieties of shoplifting behavior over a period of time

b, c

Which of the following measurement methods would yield results that can be generalized to the student population of a large university? a. students passing by a campus booth are invited to fill out a questionnaire. several hundreds students do so b. school records are used to select 100 students from different categories (male and female, white and non-white...) in numbers that mirror the overall student population. these students will fill out a short questionnaire c. comprehensive school records are used to randomly select a sample group of 100 students, who will fill out a short questionnaire d. five students are randomly selected for in-depth interviews, each lasting half an hour

b, c

The city council of Anytown, U.S.A., is reviewing the funding for local sports-related activities. To be better informed, it commissions a study. Order the sample groups, best to worst, based on how well they would represent the population of Anytown residents with an active interest in sports. a. high-school students at three different schools b. people randomly approached at a softball tournament, a swim meet, an athletic supply store, and a sports bar c. people randomly approached at a department store and at a shopping mall

b, c, a

In a certain forest, dying trees are consistently found to be infested with beetles. Which of the following hypotheses might explain this correlation? a. dying trees and invading beetles both attract other wildlife, such as small birds b. beetle infestation is causing trees to die c. dying trees are more prone to beetle infestation d. a fungus causes trees to die and also lures beetles

b, c, d

Which of the following groups are protected populations whose study often requires an extra level of approval? a. ethnic minorities b. prisoners c. people with disabilities d. minors

b, c, d

At one point in his field research, ethnographer Mitchell Duneier intervened in a conversation between some street vendors he'd befriended and some police officers. What aspects of Duneier's appearance and conduct likely made a difference in how the officers treated Duneier, compared to how they treated the vendors? a. Duneier's tape recorder b. Duneier's manner of speech c. Duneier's clothing d. Duneier's skin color

b, d

Which of the following represents an operationalization of the concept educated? a. has read a lot of classics in world literature b. can pass a standardized literacy test c. masters the essentials of core subjects such as math, science, and history d. has a high school diploma or GED equivalent

b, d

A researcher notices that her interview subjects speak more freely when she puts away her tape recorder, and sometimes contradict what they say when being taped. What aspect of sociological investigation does the researcher's realization illustrate? a. validity b. generalizability c. reflexivity d. reliability

c

What initially got danah boyd interested in the social interactions of young people in an online environment? a. being hired by MIT/s Media Lab b. encountering sexism while posting to an online forum about science c. seeing her brother participate in online bulletin board discussions d. trying to help her mother make a career transition

c

What is the definition of comparative research? a. it examines two or more entities in order to learn more about how they influence each other b. it examines two or more entities in order to learn more about how and why they resemble each other c. it examines two or more entities in order to learn more about how and why they differ

c

Which represents the selection of a hypothesis and alternative hypothesis? a. theory b. interest c. idea

c

Which factors are needed to establish causality between variables A and B? a. spuriousness b. reverse causality c. correlation d. elimination of alternative explanations e. time order

c, d, e

When two numeric variables are related in such a way that they go up and down together, or one consistently goes up when the other goes down, what is such a relationship called? It is a(n) _______________.

correlation

What is operationalization? a. the process of deciding the meaning of the variables one wants to study b. the process of recording collected data in a form suitable for analysis c. the process of working out the logics of an experimental study d. the process of deciding how a variable to be studied will be precisely measured

d

The research process includes many steps. Place the following steps in order. a. operationalization b. analysis c. observation d. conceptualization

d, a, c, b

If there is a correlation between two variables A and B, it may be because A causes B, or because B causes A, but it cannot be both. True or false?

false

Selection bias can be avoided by making sure the sample size is large enough. True or false?

false

_____________ study is another term for a panel survey

longitudinal

What did sociologist Duncan Watts do to investigate how some pop songs become hits? a. he manipulated songs' ratings and download numbers to observe the effects on songs' popularity b. he did a participant observation study at several live pop concerts c. he conducted a survey of users of two music streaming sites, asking the users what they liked best about their favorite songs

a

What is the difference between a census and a study that is not a census? a. a census collects data on the entire study population b. a census involves interviews c. a census by definition extends over a long period of time d. a census involves a written survey

a

Which phrase describes a study in which a "snapshot" is taken of all members of a sample group at one specific time? a. cross-sectional study b. interview c. census d. panel survey

a

In a study aimed at gauging Americans' opinions on gun ownership, polling teams stand outside department stores in major cities across the country and record people's answers to a few brief questions. Within each city, the results are quite consistent from one team to the next. What problem(s) does this research design potentially suffer from? a. generalizability b. validity c. reliability

a, b