Chapter 2 sociology

If you have been criticized for "androcentricity" in your research, you are being criticized for ________ a. overgeneralizing your results. b. ignoring gender entirely. c. doing the research from a male perspective. d. using double standards in your research.

c. doing the research from a male perspective.

Interpretive sociology refers to sociology that ________ a. focuses on action. b. sees an objective reality "out there." c. focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior. d. seeks to bring about change.

c. focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.

Critical sociology can best be described as a(n) ________ approach. a activist b. scientific c. qualitative d. value-free

a activist

What research method was used in Philip Zimbardo's study, the "Stanford County Prison"? a. An experiment b. A survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

a. An experiment

Which of the following concepts refers to deciding exactly what is to be measured when assigning value to a variable? a. Operationalizing b. Reliability c. Conceptualizing d. Validity

a. Operationalizing

Imagine that you are repeating research done by someone else in order to assess the accuracy of that research. You are doing which of the following? a. Replication b. Objectification c. Reliability d. Scientific control

a. Replication

Which sociological research method is most likely to produce quantitative data that will identify cause-and-effect relationships? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

a. The experiment

What term refers to the arithmetic average of a series of numbers? a. The mean b. The mode c. The median d. The correlation

a. The mean

In a questionnaire, asking respondents to identify their income level from a number of possible categories represents ________ a. a closed-ended question format. b. an open-ended question format. c. an interview question format. d. a qualitative question format.

a. a closed-ended question format.

An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by a third variable is called ________ a. a spurious correlation. b. an unproven correlation. c. an unreliable correlation. d. an invalid correlation.

a. a spurious correlation.

Critical sociology can best be described as a(n) ________ approach. a. activist b. scientific c. qualitative d. value-free

a. activist

Sociologists cannot precisely predict any person's behavior because ________ a. human behavior is highly complex and has many causes. b. the discipline of sociology is too new. c. there are too many competing sociological approaches. d. sociology is not scientific.

a. human behavior is highly complex and has many causes

A theory states that increasing a person's formal higher education results in increased earnings over the individual's lifetime. In this theory, "higher education" is the ________ a. independent variable. b. dependent variable. c. correlation. d. effect.

a. independent variable.

If you were trying to measure the "social class" of various people, you would have to keep in mind that ________ a. it is necessary to specify exactly what variable you are measuring. b. you must measure "social class" in every way possible. c. there is no way to measure "social class." d. everyone agrees on what "social class" means.

a. it is necessary to specify exactly what variable you are measuring.

A researcher doing participant observation may "break in" to a setting more easily with the help of a ________ a. key informant. b. research assistant. c. bigger budget. d. longer questionnaire.

a. key informant.

A researcher doing participant observation may often "break in" to a setting more easily with the help of a ________ a. key informant. b. research assistant. c. bigger budget. d. longer questionnaire.

a. key informant.

Science can be defined as a ________ a. logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation. b. belief based on faith in ultimate truth. c. belief based on a society's traditions. d. logical system that bases truth on political goals.

a. logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation.

Scientific methodology is most closely linked to ________ a. structural-functional theory. b. social-conflict theory. c. symbolic-interaction theory. d. gender-conflict theory

a. structural-functional theory.

Lois Benjamin's research shows that interviews ________ a. take a lot of time to complete. b. must always be conducted in a laboratory. c. do not allow the researcher to ask follow-up questions. d. do not require face-to-face contact with subjects.

a. take a lot of time to complete.

Deductive logical thought involves ________ a. turning theories into hypotheses suitable for testing. b. selecting a research method based on available resources. c. doing research about the past. d. transforming specific observations into general theory.

a. turning theories into hypotheses suitable for testing.

What is the term for the value that occurs most often in a series of numbers? a. Mean b. Mode c. Median d. Standard deviation

b. Mode

If you were to conduct sociological research that closely follows the logic of science, which research method would you most likely use? a. Interviews b. The experiment c. Questionnaires d. Participant observation

b. The experiment

Which sociological research method is best used to study what cannot be directly observed, such as attitudes and values, among large numbers of people? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

b. The survey

_________ refers to measuring exactly what one intends to measure. a. Congruence b. Validity c. Repeatability d. Reliability

b. Validity

In a questionnaire, the question, "Please state your opinions about the extent of economic inequality." is an example of ________ a. a closed-ended format. b. an open-ended format. c. experimental design. d. a dependent variable.

b. an open-ended format.

In making judgments about how society should be improved, the ________ approach in sociology rejects Max Weber's goal that researchers be value-free. a. interpretive b. critical c. scientific d. positivist

b. critical

In making judgments about how society should be improved, the ________ approach in sociology rejects Max Weber's goal that researchers should be value-free. a. interpretive b. critical c. scientific d. positivist

b. critical

With regard to the process of measurement, ________ a. for measurement to be reliable, it must be valid. b. for measurement to be valid, it must be reliable. c. all measurement is both reliable and valid. d. measurement cannot be both reliable and valid.

b. for measurement to be valid, it must be reliable.

People can mislead others with statistics by ________ a. using deductive reasoning. b. interpreting the data to lead their readers to a desired conclusion. c. using inductive reasoning. d. identifying a testable hypothesis.

b. interpreting the data to lead their readers to a desired conclusion.

The sociological perspective coupled to research reveals that ________ a. "common sense" is usually pretty close to the truth. b. much of what passes for "common sense" in the United States turns out to be at least partly wrong. c. most people in the United States readily see how society shapes our lives. d. "common sense" is not very popular in the United States.

b. much of what passes for "common sense" in the United States turns out to be at least partly wrong.

If you read a study that draws conclusions about all of humanity based on research using only females as subjects, you would correctly point to the problem called ________ a. androcentricity. b. overgeneralization. c. gender blindness. d. using double standards.

b. overgeneralization.

Lois Benjamin's research on the life experiences of high-achieving African Americans suggests that ________ a. race has little to do with the life experiences of successful people. b. racism remains a burden even among privileged African Americans. c. race is now more of a barrier to African Americans than ever before in U.S. history. d. racism mainly affects lower-class African Americans.

b. racism remains a burden even among privileged African Americans

A small number of people that are used to represent a much larger population is called a ________ a. target group. b. sample. c. closed-format group. d. sampling frame.

b. sample.

Critical sociology ________ a. focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior. b. seeks to bring about desirable social change. c. endorses the principle of being value-free. d. is based on Weber's principle of verstehen.

b. seeks to bring about desirable social change.

In a cause-and-effect relationship a. both variables must be shown to be independent. b. the independent variable must come before the dependent variable in time. c. the two variables must never display correlation. d. there must be evidence that the correlation is spurious.

b. the independent variable must come before the dependent variable in time

Qualitative research appeals to investigators who favor ________ a. the structural-functional approach. b. the symbolic-interaction approach. c. the social-conflict approach. d. the social-exchange approach.

b. the symbolic-interaction approach.

Qualitative research has special appeal to investigators who favor ________ a. the structural-functional approach. b. the symbolic-interaction approach. c. the social-conflict approach. d. the social-exchange approach.

b. the symbolic-interaction approach.

The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher must ________ a. not personally care about the topic being studied. b. try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research. c. study issues that have no value to society as a whole. d. carry out research that will encourage desirable social change.

b. try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research.

Examine the following series of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10. What is the median value? a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4

c. 3

E. Digby Baltzell's study, Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia, showed that a very high number of "top achievers" listed in the Dictionary of American Biography came from ________ a. the South. b. Pennsylvania. c. Massachusetts. d. Philadelphia.

c. Massachusetts.

What term refers to the value that occurs midway in a series of numbers arranged from smallest to largest (that is, the middle case)? a. Mean b. Mode c. Median d. Correlation

c. Median

Which sociological research method is likely to be the most difficult to replicate (repeat)? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

c. Participant observation

Which sociological research method provides the best chance to understand social behavior in a natural setting? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

c. Participant observation

You wish to conduct an exploratory and descriptive study of people in a particular neighborhood. You have plenty of time, but you have little money or other resources. What research method should you use? a. Experiment b. Survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

c. Participant observation

From a research point of view, what is the problem with the question, "Do you think that the government should spend less on defense and spend more on health care?" a. Most people will have no opinion on these issues. b. The question may spark an emotional response. c. Two different questions are being asked, so that a simple "yes" or "no" may distort the subject's actual opinion. d. The question asks for a personal opinion, which involves a value judgment.

c. Two different questions are being asked, so that a simple "yes" or "no" may distort the subject's actual opinion.

Which German word meaning "understanding" was used by Max Weber to describe his approach to sociological research? a. Gemeinschaft b. Gesellschaft c. Verstehen d. Verboten

c. Verstehen

Which German word meaning "understanding" was used by Max Weber to describe his approach to sociological research? a. Gemeinschaft. b. Gesellschaft. c. Verstehen. d. Verboten.

c. Verstehen.

Imagine that you were going to measure the age of a number of respondents taking part in a survey. As you record the data, you are using the concept "age" as ________ a. a theory. b. a hypothesis. c. a variable. d. an axiom.

c. a variable.

The ability to neutralize the effect of one variable in order to assess the relationship between two other variables is called ________ a. making the correlation spurious. b. making the correlation reliable. c. control. d. causing the correlation.

c. control.

You are doing research and you never stop to think about the possible importance of gender. Your work could be criticized for the problem called ________ a. androcentricity. b. overgeneralization. c. gender blindness. d. employing double standards.

c. gender blindness.

Lois Benjamin's investigation of racism may be criticized because ________ a. her sample included as many white people as African Americans. b. she conducted her interviews over the telephone. c. her sample may not be representative of all African Americans. d. people cannot respond to questions they find painful.

c. her sample may not be representative of all African Americans.

Sociologists use the term "empirical evidence" to refer to ________ a. information that is based on a society's traditions. b. information that squares with common sense. c. information we can verify with our senses. d. information that most people agree is true

c. information we can verify with our senses.

Ewoodzie discovered that homeless people in Jackson, Mississippi, ________ a. ate more nutritious food than better-off people. b. could easily find jobs and housing if they just wanted to. c. made use of available social services so that they rarely went for a day without food. d. were unwilling to speak with any researcher about their lives.

c. made use of available social services so that they rarely went for a day without food.

It is difficult to establish all the cause-and-effect relationships in a social situation because ________ a. most patterns of behavior have a single cause. b. most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all. c. most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors. d. sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect.

c. most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors.

Regarding ethical research guidelines, the American Sociological Association states that researchers ________ a. must always perform their research several times in order to ensure its accuracy. b. need not disclose their sources of funding for the research. c. must protect the privacy of subjects taking part in a research project. d. are not responsible for the safety of subjects taking part in a research project.

c. must protect the privacy of subjects taking part in a research project.

William Foote Whyte's study of Cornerville (Street Corner Society) used which sociological research method? a. experiment b. survey c. participant observation d. secondary analysis

c. participant observation

Joseph Ewoodzie's research to learn about homeless people in Jackson, Mississippi is an example of ________ a. an experiment. b. a survey. c. participant observation. d. secondary analysis.

c. participant observation.

Three researchers wish to test the effects of playing soft music during an exam on the test performance of their sociology students. They conduct an experiment in which one test-taking class hears music and another does not. In experimental terms, the class hearing the music is called ________ a. the placebo. b. the control group. c. the experimental group. d. the dependent variable.

c. the experimental group.

Which research method asks subjects to respond to a series of items in a questionnaire or an interview? a. Secondary research b. Participant observation c. An experiment d. A survey

d. A survey

"A statement of a possible relationship between two or more variables" is the definition of which concept? a. Measurement b. Correlation c. Spurious correlation d. Hypothesis

d. Hypothesis

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be "value-free" in the conduct of their research was ________ a. Karl Marx. b. Emile Durkheim. c. Herbert Spencer. d. Max Weber.

d. Max Weber.

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be value free was ________ a. Karl Marx. b. Emile Durkheim. c. Herbert Spencer. d. Max Weber.

d. Max Weber.

E. Digby Baltzell's historical study, Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia, illustrates which research method? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis

d. Secondary analysis

Which sociological research method saves the time and expense of data gathering, but the researcher has no control over possible data bias? a. The experiment b. The survey c. Participant observation d. Secondary analysis of existing sources

d. Secondary analysis of existing sources

What concept refers to any change in a subject's behavior that is caused by the awareness of being studied? a. Invalid response b. Unreliable response c. The Stanford effect d. The Hawthorne effect

d. The Hawthorne effect

"A mental construct that represents some aspect of the world in a somewhat simplified form" is the definition of a ________ a. variable. b. theory. c. measurement. d. concept.

d. concept.

Scientific sociology ________ a. focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior. b. seeks to bring about desirable social change. c. favors qualitative data. d. favors quantitative data.

d. favors quantitative data.

One disadvantage of conducting interviews is that this research method ________ a. does not permit follow-up questions. b. does not allow subjects' answers to be detailed. c. results in a very low response rate. d. may easily allow the researcher to influence subjects' responses.

d. may easily allow the researcher to influence subjects' responses.

Two variables are said to display correlation if ________ a. they are caused by the same factor. b. one occurs before the other. c. both measure the same thing. d. they vary together.

d. they vary together.

Inductive logical thought involves ________ a. turning theories into hypotheses suitable for testing. b. selecting a research method based on available resources. c. doing research about the past. d. transforming specific observations into general theory.

d. transforming specific observations into general theory.

In the process of measurement, reliability refers to ________ a. whether you are really measuring what you want to measure. b. how dependable the researcher is. c. whether or not everyone agrees with the study's results. d. whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results.

d. whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results.