FCS 3200 Quiz 4
Which of the following hypotheses best fits the criteria of causality?
As education increases, income tends to increase even after controlling for gender and race.
Ruth puzzles over a report that claims that women are more likely to vote for Democrats than are men. She puzzles because her best friend, Joan, always votes Republican. Ruth is guilty of using which of the following false criteria for nomothetic causality?
Complete causation and exceptional cases
In which of the following methods, data are gathered essentially at one particularly point of time?
Cross-sectional
Which of the following data is the most difficult to use to establish causal relationships?
Cross-sectional
A necessary condition represents a condition that, if it is present, will pretty much guarantee the effect in question.
False
Causal relationships can exist only if they apply in a majority of cases.
False
Dr. Jordan chronicles people's attitudes toward an upcoming property tax levy. Jordan is clearly doing an explanatory study.
False
Explanatory research is always superior to exploratory and descriptive research, since it addresses questions of why.
False
Generally, the first thing in a research proposal is the description of the subjects for study.
False
If two variables are correlated with each other, there must be a causal relationship between them.
False
Researchers ought to ignore previous work on a topic so that their research can be original.
False
Statistical correlations are a sufficient condition to establish nomothetic causality.
False
With the idiographic type of explanation, we try to find a few factors that can account for many of the variations in a given phenomenon.
False
A major characteristic of exploratory studies is that they seldom provide satisfactory answers to research questions.
True
Description is the purpose of research that involves describing situations and events.
True
Explanatory research is carried out when a problem has been clearly defined, finding the relationship between variables and identify possible causal factors..
True
In some states, only those who are age 17 and older can obtain driver license. So being age 17 and older is a necessary condition for getting a driver's license.
True
The article "House Prices and Subprime Mortgage Delinquencies" is an example of the nomothetic approach, because it is to establish general rules of behaviour to be applied to large populations.
True
When a researcher is faced with the question from whom or what will the information be gathered, that researcher is dealing with which aspect of the research design process?
Units of analysis
Criminologist Jason Wade found that 19% of boys compared with 7% of girls report they had stolen something worth between $2 and $50. This indicates that there is likely_______________ between gender and self-reported theft.
an association
Which of the following three criteria are necessary to establish nomothetic causality?
correlation, time order, and nonspurious.
Kathy studies the homeownership attainment of immigrants at a particular point of time. To increase the sample size, she collects data in three consecutive years and pool all the data together in her analysis. Which design should she use?
cross-sectional
The topic of surrogate mothers interested Professor Snyder, even though he had little knowledge about the topic. Snyder read the available materials on the topic and wanted to develop an age, education, and income profile of women who serve as surrogate mothers in the United States. To develop this profile, Snyder should undertake a(n):
descriptive study
Andrew wants to study poverty and see if age is a major variable associated with poverty. Which unit of analysis should he use?
individuals
In the article "Inclusion of Immigrant Status in Smoking Prevalence Statistics", the unit of analysis is:
individuals
In the article "Study suggests link between pesticides, autism", the unit of analysis is:
individuals
Which one of the following represents a condition that must be present for the effect to follow?
necessary cause
For a nomothetic causal relationship to exist, there must be evidence:
of an empirical correlation between the variables, one variable precedes the other in time, and a third variable did not cause the changed observed in the first two variables
Andy wants to study five fifth-grade classes over three years to determine how friendship patterns are established in the fifth grade affect friendship patterns in the eighth grade. He studies the same students over time. Which design should he use?
panel
A researcher would like to examine the differences in crime rates among Salt Lake City neighborhoods. The unit of analysis would be:
social groups
There are two variables. One is called the dependent variable while the other is called the independent variable. When an observed relationship between the two variables disappears when a third variable is controlled and when this third variable has a causal relationship with the dependent variable, the relationship is said to be:
spurious
A __________ represents a condition that, if present, guarantees the effect in question.
sufficient cause
Elena learned from her political science professor that most rich people vote Republican. She also learned the one of the world richest individuals—Warren Buffet always voted for Democrats. She then concluded that her political science professor was wrong. What mistake did she most likely make?
the assumption of complete causation.
If a researcher were conducting a study of women's attitudes toward happiness, the unit of analysis would be:
the individual
Vice president of sales wishes to study the changing characteristics of customers over the past ten years. She would like to know whether current customers are more or less influenced by advertisement. You would recommend her to use a:
trend study.
Which one of the following is the best example of the ecological fallacy?
Felisha studied Census tracts for her study on crime but then wrote up her conclusions in terms of individuals.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a cross-sectional study?
It is easier to establish causality with a cross-sectional study than with a longitudinal study.
