Social Research
Which of the following would a sociologist be LEAST likely to study? quiz 1
Why Mr.Smith quit his job
Sam wants to prepare a short report on his research for an academic journal. He simply wants to tell the audience about his findings. The most appropriate form for his report is
a research note
Which of the following is NOT an essential component of informed consent? quiz 4
a statement that once begin participation, they cannot quit
William Robinson, a sociologist, found that during the 1930s there was a positive relationship between the literacy rate and percentage of the population that was foreign born. If you concluded on this basis that your neighbor, Yasmin, who is a foreign-born resident, has a higher literacy rate than other native-born residents, you would be commiting the
ecological fallacy
Ruth puzzles over a report that claims that women are more likely to vote for Democrats than 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?
exceptional cases
if a researcher wanted to know why there was a noticeable increase in the number of burglaries in the town of southpaw during 2005, the researcher would design a (n)
explanatory study
A good research report should read like a good novel
false
Everyone agrees that Tom's research does NOT inflict physical harm on subjects. Tom is pleased by this conclusion because it means that he no longer has to be concerned with the issue of harm to subjects.
false
Nomothetic reasoning is more useful than idiographic reasoning
false
Once people are told that their participation in research study is voluntary, their are no ethical problems
false
Theo is excited because he received a grant from the National Institute of Health to conduct his study. As an undergraduate he is an exempt from bringing his research before his schools IRB
false
a good summary quickly reviews every specific finding
false
a journal article should always be read from the beginning
false
in deduction we start from observed data and develop a generalization that explains the relationship between the observed concepts
false
only names, birth dates, and social security numbers and considered identifiable data
false
research designs are descriptive, explanatory, or exploratory never more than one
false
social scientists are totally objective in their research
false
the aim of a report may be exploration, description or explanation but never action
false
the deductive model tends to be linked to theory development and inductive model to theory testing
false
the independent variable must occur later in time than the dependent variable
false
the traditional model of science uses inductive logic
false
you must always have a fully developed theory before begining observation
false
The attributes (values) of the variable "college class level" include:
first-year, sophomore, junior, senior
a(n) __ is a testable statement about a relationship between two variables
hypothesis
Pregnant at age 15, Tammy decided to have her baby. Her parents were upset with her decision and threatened to "cut her off" if she did not complete high school. A difficult pregnancy and embarrassment resulted in Tammy's dropping out of school. After the baby was born her parents said that they would raise the baby but that she would have to leave the house. At age 16 Tammy was on her own and without any money or job market skills. She began to work as a prostitute. This explanation of Tammy's prostitution is:
idiographic
One of your friends scored in the 90's on her last ten exams. Although she has been studying for this exam and feels prepared, she told you, "I know i'm going to flunk this exam. I've been doing too well on exams." Your friend is committing error of
illogical reasoning
Professor Root was studying the arrest rates for drunken driving in urban and rural areas of Ohio. It was found that the arrest rate was higher in the rural areas. Professor Root concluded that people who live in rural areas are more likely to drive while intoxicated than are people who live in urban areas. Root's conclusion
illustrates the ecological fallacy
Sally begins to think about the grades she receives for class participation. Recalling her prior semester she writes down that she received a 10/10 from Dr. Smith and a 9/10 from Dr. Baxter, 4/10 from Dr. Cagney, 3/10 from Dr. Wiley and 10/10 from Dr. Dona. Examining the list she realizes that she spoke a lot in classes with Smith, Baxter and Dona and very little in her other two classes. She also notices that the classes in which she spoke have female instructors and that she rarely spoke in the two classes with male instructors. She then begins to list all her college courses, the gender of the professor and whether or not she spoke in class. She notices that she tends to speak in classes where the professor is female and rarely speaks when the professor is male and that her class participation grades are higher when she speaks more. Sally is using
inductive reasoning
___ is a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects on a full understanding of the possible risks involved
informed consent
which of the following is NOT a characteristic of cross-sectional study?
it concentrates on the charges that take place among specific sample over a period of time
Which of the following subjects anything published to a peer-review process?
journal article
which of the following is NOT an aim of social science?
judging social values
In doing research, researchers make every effort to collect data from a Representative sample to make sure that their research has
measurement validity
After examining divorce court records, Jenny concludes that Moms are more likely than Dads to obtain custody of their children. This type of statement is
nomothetic and probabilistic
The distinction between quantitative and qualitative data in social research is essentially the distinction between
numerical and non-numerical data
which of the following is the best example of hypothesis?
older people vote more conservatively than do younger people
Professor Stone designs a study to examine the effect of a teenage pregnancy on the career choices of the teens. Stone interviews a sample of teenage women during their pregnancy, after the birth, and one year later. Stone is using a:
panel study
a model of scheme for helping us organize and interpret the world is referred to as a
paradigm
Which of the following statements is FALSE about the purpose of the literature review? Literature reviews should:
point out general agreements and minimize the disagreements among previous researchers.
a typical report begins with a(n)
purpose and overview statement
Jenny decided to read an article published in Law and Society Review. Babbie would urge her to begin reading the article by: Quiz 2
reading the abstract
Ethical obligations of ones colleagues in the scientific community
require the technical shortcomings and failures of the study be revealed
in which of the following scenarios would confidentiality be the the LEAST concern?
secondary data analysis
The analysis of deviant cases--cases that do not fit the general pattern--helps guard against
selective observation
while doing research on crime Professor Middler notes that crime creates jobs in law enforcement and related careers. He also notices that crime reinforces community norm s when criminals are caught and punished. professor Middler has probably adopted the __ approach to the study of crime
structural functionism
Which of the following variables would be of the LEAST ethical concern to IRB when they try to protect participants in a study?
subjects age
In comparison to nonscientific inquiry, scientific inquiry:
takes special precaution to avoid error
In Sweden, there is a very strong correlation between the number of storks and the number of babies born. However, both of these variables are associated with region (rural vs. urban). This illustrates:
that there is no causal relationship between the number of storks and the number of babies
the PRIMARY ethical research issue raised by the Milligram study was
the effects of the methods on the "teachers"
Mr. Rodgers talked to several people around him and found that older people tend to be happier. If he conclude that old adults are happier than younger adults, he would be committing:
the error of over generalization
a researcher examined newspaper editorials that focused on the Patriots Act. She examined the editorials published in the major newspapers in major cities in the Unites States. The Unit of Analysis was
the newspaper editorials
Methodology is best described as:
the science of finding out
Epistemology is best described as
the science of knowing
If a researcher was conduction a study to investigate a women's age affects their attitudes toward abortion, the unit of analysis would be
the woman
ethical issues are distinguished from political issues in research in that
there are no formal codes of accepted political conduct whereas there are codes of ethical conduct
Tyler finds that in burglary cases male and female jurors are equally likely to vote to acquit. Tyler should conclude that:
there is no relationship between gender and verdict in burglary cases.
The ability to have two different, conflicting ideas in one's mind simultaneously without denying or dismissing either of them is known as
tolerance for ambiguity
Descriptive research answers the question "whats so?" and explanatory research answers the question "why?"
true
The basis of knowledge is agreement
true
The nomothetic model of causal analysis lends itself to hypothesis testing.
true
The norm of voluntary participation threatens the social research goal of generalizibility
true
all of our experiences are inescapably subjective
true
in the traditional scientific method, the first step is developing a theory
true
political issues tend to focus on substance and the use of research
true
scientific inquiry is a process involving an alternation between deduction and induction quiz 3
true
some websites advocate particular political, religious, social or other points of view
true
the ecological fallacy refers to drawing the conclusions about individuals based solely on the observations of groups Quiz 5
true
Professor King examined all the reasons given by 100 couples for their marriages. In the final research report, King listed all the reasons given by the 200 people for their marriages. Professor King is:
using an idiographic explanation for marriage
Professor Smith decides to track the dating behaviors of college students throughout their college careers. She decides to begin her research using introductory class. After explaining the study, she assures students that their responses will be kept confidential. The students complete her survey during class. He research most clearly impinges on
voluntary participation
if you are looking to find a website with reputable trustworthy information for research project, which suffix should you focus on?
.edu
After consulting factory records, Research P finds that factories with higher proportions of male workers are more likely to be union shops. P concludes that in future research on union activism, the focus should be on male individuals. What methodological error has P committed?
Ecological Fallacy
which of the following techniques of data collection is MOST likely to make a gaurentee
Face-to-face interviews
If an exception is found to a sociological pattern, the pattern is invalid
False
When names are removed from questionnaires and are replaced with identification numbers so that only the researcher can later link a response to a name, the researcher should tell the respondent that the information is
confidential
Professor Willard was interested in examining whether countries with higher GNP's tend to have more gangs than countries with lower GNP's. Willard's unit of analysis was:
countries
Which of the following is NOT suggested by Babbie for citing internet materials?
Cite the author and title for published journal articles only
By itself, the 2000 Census exemplifies a __________ study that when compared to another decennial census could be considered a _________ study.
cross-sectional; trend
Steve had a hunch that female students were more punctual than males in the classes that he taught. So, he began to keep track for a week in each class, how many male and female students came in after the class was scheduled to begin. His results supported his hypothesis. Steve is using
Deductive Reasoning
the topic of surrogate mothers interested in Professor Snyder. Snyder read the available materials on the topic and wanted to develop an age,education, and income profile of the women who serve as surrogate mothers in the United States. To develop this profile Snyder should undertake a(n)
descriptive study
Which hypothesis predicts a negative relationship between two variables?
as income increases, the prevalence of obesity decreases.
which of the following does NOT harm subjects, or imply LESS harm, in a survey research?
asking them to provide demographic information
Chen is beginning a research study in which he has an idea of what he's looking to find, but is letting his own observations shape the specifics of his theory. What approach is he taking to constructing his research?
Grounded theory
Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding University IRBS
IRBS must review all research, no exclusion
which of the following statements is FALSE concerning data on the web?
Information that is placed on the web is typically screened for accuracy
Which of the following is NOT an aim of social science?
Judging social values
A literature review serves to
Lay the groundwork for your research
Using data collected between 2004 and 2005, from 15000 adults, Professor Rodgers found that the average level of happiness reported by people under 65 years of age was lower than that reported by people age 65 and older.
Levels of happiness
As students we learn that studying hard causes good grades. Such cause and effect are __ in nature
Probabilistic
Female, ages 18-25, brown hair, and teacher are examples of:
attributes
Fred's biology teacher told him about the "birds and the bees." By relying on his biology teacher's explanation, Fred relies on ______ as a way of knowing.
authority
Using data collected between 2004 and 2005, from 15000 adults, Professor Rodgers found that the average level of happiness reported by people under 65 years of age was lower than that reported by people age 65 and older. Which of the following is a variable in this study?
age
Which of the following is NOT a suggestion used for evaluation a website?
all (who is the author of the website?, are the data up-to-date?, does the site give accurate and complete references?)
Which of the following is NOT Considered as a principle for research ethics?
all of the choices
many researcher find their research question from
all the above
the purposes of reviewing literature include
all the above
Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from:
all the above (direct experience,tradition,direct,personal inquiry)
A good research question
all the above (should address important social problems/issues, should make significant contribute to our scientific knowledge of the social world, should be feasible ethical)
Abstracts
all the above( should give you idea as to whether you'll want to read the rest of the article, should give you a framework for reading the rest of the article, may raise questions in your mind regarding methods or conclusion
safe guards against error in social research include:
all the choices (making observations more deliberate, replications under slightly varying circumstances, the use of simple and complex measurement devices)
Which of the following is not plagarism?
all the choices illustrate plagiarism (using another writes exact words without using quotation marks, taking passage of eight or more words without a citation,paraphrasing another's words and presenting those as your own)
