Exam 2: Research Methods

The application of several research methods to the same topic is known as:

When conducting research, a sociologist's own personal experience is not ________ enough to produce accurate statements about the larger society.

Validity means that repeated measurements of the same variable with the same or equivalent instruments should be equal.

Dependent variables are considered the 'causal variable' in research that explains why something happens.

Although experiments are very useful for determining cause and effect, they are often difficult to conduct when studying human subjects. Human research subjects may behave differently under experimental conditions than they would usually behave because they want to please the experimenters. This phenomenon has been called ________.

Theory rooted in and arising from data collected by the researcher is known as ________ theory.

________ logic involves deriving a specific statement from a more general statement.

________ research involves collecting data on independent and dependent variables at the same time.

One of the problems with using someone else's data, a procedure called ________ ________, is that they may be incomplete, since the original collectors were not aware of the information later researchers would need.

Participant observers tend to collect their data first and conclude with what they call ________ theory.

Cluster sampling involves randomly sampling smaller and smaller units within larger units.

Which of the following is not an example of a random sampling method?

Counting and precise measurement of observable behaviour, concentration on a limited number of variables, and prediction are all hallmarks of a quantitative approach to doing sociology.

Since historical records are usually official documents, validity is hardly ever an issue in historical analyses.

Weber argued that the social sciences should not borrow research methods from the natural sciences because humans engage in meaningful, goal-directed behaviour, called ________.

Durkheim adopted a position called ________, meaning that he wanted to use the research methods of the natural sciences, appropriately adapted, for the social sciences.

________ logic involves making connecting links between related theoretical statements.

Theory rooted in and arising from data collected by the researcher is known as deductive theory.

What is a hypothesis? A theory? Give an example of each.

Which of the following is NOT required to demonstrate that A causes B?