Chapter 2

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

case study

a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

code of ethics

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

content analysis

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

correlation

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

Hawthorne effect

the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study

validity

a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results

value neutrality

a variable changed by other variables

dependent variables

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

population

The term value neutrality is defined by the text as: a. A practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results. a. The study of evolving ethics and morals in relation to sociological research. b. A systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand. c. A study's participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population.

a. A practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results.

Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Karl Marx were all advocates of: a. Conflict theory b. Structural functionalism c. Capitalism d. Symbolic interactionism

a. Conflict theory

Quincia is studying how of the lack of comprehensive sex education is affecting a small, rural town in North Dakota. She spends two months in the town, observing and interviewing the townspeople. Quincia is conducting a(n) _____. a. Ethnography b. Case study c. Experiment d. Secondary data analysis

a. Ethnography

What is the importance of interpretive framework? a. It leads to in-depth knowledge of a participant's social world. b. It eliminates the need for a literature review. c. It relies on statistics to determine causal relationships. d. It prevents researchers from making unethical decisions.

a. It leads to in-depth knowledge of a participant's social world.

A paradigm can be defined as: a. Philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them. b. The social ties that bind a group of people together such as kinship, shared location, and religion c. The consequences of a social process that are sought or anticipated d. Social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society

a. Philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them.

using a tool makes the measuring more precise.

accuracy

A hypothesis can be defined as: a. A way to explain different aspects of social interactions b. A testable proposition c. An attempt to explain large-scale relationships d. Philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them

b. A testable proposition

Miguel is doing a research paper on New York City's Stonewall riots of 1969. He visits the scene of the riots, interviews people who were there, reads the police reports of the event, and watches video footage. Miguel is conducting a(n) ______. a. Overview b. Case study c. Experiment d. Data analysis

b. Case study

Jeremy wrote an essay criticizing the college admissions process, arguing that heavy competition and limited educational resources make admission difficult for the average student. Which perspective would Jeremy's argument fall under? a. Structural Functionalism b. Conflict Theory c. Symbolic Interactionism d. Behaviorism

b. Conflict Theory

In order to better understand the sorority pledging process at her university for her sociology thesis, Carmen pledges with a popular sorority. This is an example of _____. a. Literature review b. Participant observation c. Secondary data analysis d. Dependent variables

b. Participant observation

What was the major ethical lapse regarding researchers' treatment of Henrietta Lacks? a. Not treating her cervical cancer b. Reusing her cells without her consent c. Reusing her cells in vaccines and related medicines d. Not acknowledging that the cells came from her

b. Reusing her cells without her consent

Which of the following is NOT an example of a sociological hypothesis? a. The more study halls students are given during the school day, the worse they perform on their tests. b. The more CDs Jamilla buys, the less money she has in her bank account c. The longer an inmate spends in prison, the more difficult it is for him to adapt to the outside world. d. The more positive reinforcement a parent gives a child, the better they do in school.

b. The more CDs Jamilla buys, the less money she has in her bank account

What approach is often used to understand what is defined as deviant within a society? a. Criticism b. Symbolic interactionism c. Constructivism d. Antipositivism

c. Constructivism

____ believed that societies grew and changed as a result of the struggles of different social classes over the means of production and greatly favored ____. a. Durkheim; Communism b. Max Weber; Positivism c. Karl Marx; Communism d. Comte; Antipositivism

c. Karl Marx; Communism

What was the major ethical lapse of the Tuskegee Experiment? a. Conducting a study only on Black people b. Not treating the men who were infected c. Not informing the subjects of the study that they had syphilis d. Not adhering to a code of ethics

c. Not informing the subjects of the study that they had syphilis

Which of the following is an example of an unethical sociological research practice? a. Conducting a literature review prior to conducting an experiment b. Drawing conclusions from a study which the hypothesis did not predict c. Observing study participants without their consent d. Using a control group and an experimental group during observation

c. Observing study participants without their consent

_____ view society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals who make up that society. a. Symbolic Interactionists b. Conflict Theorists c. Structural Functionalists d. Social Individualists

c. Structural Functionalists

After weeks of protest in Zuccotti Park, NYC's Occupy Wall Street divided into two camps: one composed of higher income protestors, and one composed of lower-income protesters. A ______ would be most interested in the relationship and nature of day-to- day exchanges between the two groups. a. Conflict theorist b. Structural functionalist c. Symbolic interactionist d. Feminist conflict theorist

c. Symbolic interactionist

A class of third graders is told that the assistant principal will be visiting their class to confirm their teacher's reports of bad behavior. When the principal visits, the students behave perfectly. This is an example of ________. a. The Authority Effect b. The Regressive Effect c. The Hawthorne Effect d. The Cognizant Effect

c. The Hawthorne Effect

Which of the following is not a purpose of the American Sociological Association's code of ethics? a. To guarantee the safety of their participants b. To maintain value neutrality c. To ensure the financial gain of the researchers d. To foster professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

c. To ensure the financial gain of the researchers

John wants to study whether a larger number of laptops available to students at his school lead to higher grades. Choose the independent and dependent variable. a. Independent variable: Grades; Dependent variable: Number of laptops b. Independent variable: John; Dependent variable: Grades c. Independent variable: Grades; Dependent variable: John d. Independent variable: Number of laptops; Dependent variable: Grades

d. Independent variable: Number of laptops; Dependent variable: Grades

Kevin conducted a study on whether the length of the line at a local Starbucks affected how well the customers enjoyed their coffee after receiving it. Malcolm conducted the study at his local Starbucks, and found the same results. Kevin's study had a high level of _____. a. Literacy b. Validity c. Interpretation d. Reliability

d. Reliability

Kyle is collecting newspaper clippings from his grandfather about the American public's perception of World War II. This is an example of ______. a. Tertiary data b. Interactive data c. Primary data d. Secondary data

d. Secondary data

Alexis wants to research the 1960's feminist movement. She reads articles from the time period, watches documentaries, reads scholarly journals on the topic, and interviews influential women from the movement. What kind of research method is Alexis using? a. Ethnography b. Surveys c. Experiments d. Secondary data analysis

d. Secondary data analysis

Thomas wants to better understand the trends in literacy rates in Baltimore city over the past 50 years using Baltimore city data. What type of research should Thomas conduct? a. A survey b. Field research c. An experiment d. Secondary data analysis

d. Secondary data analysis

looking beyond the obvious to expose falseness by examining merit, logic, and evidence.

debunking

evidence that comes from direct observations, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation

empirical evidence

participating and observing thinking and behavior in a social setting

ethnography

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

experiment

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

field research

a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables

hypothesis

variables that cause changes in dependent variables

independent variables

a sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing

interpretive framework

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

interview

a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research

literature review

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

nonreactive research

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

operational definitions

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

participant observation

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

primary data

non-numerical, descriptive data that is often subjective and based on what is experienced in a natural setting

qualitative data

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed using statistics

quantitative data

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

random sample

a measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced

reliability

small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population

samples

an established scholarly research that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing a data collection method, gathering data, and drawing conclusions

scientific method

using data collected by others and applying new interpretations

secondary data analysis

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

surveys