Exam 2: Sociological Research

If the same questionnaire about income and education is given to the same person at two different times, and nothing significant has changed between the two times, the responses should be the same, and if they are not, the questionnaire can best be described as invalid.

An operational definition is

One important goal of applying the scientific method to the study of society is to ensure that the researchers' own values and opinions are allowed to influence the results.

If x causes y, then by definition, x must be correlated with y.

The purpose of transforming a concept into its operational definition is to make the concept easier to observe and measure.

The results of an interview may be influenced by

In exploring the relationship between education level and income, which of the following factors is LEAST likely to influence the correlation between the two?

The causal variable that brings about change is known as a(n)

In the hypothesis "the more socially integrated a person, the less likely that person is to commit suicide," level of social integration is the independent variable.

Which of the following is True about Shulamit Reinharz?

After the 1989 Valdez disaster, the Exxon Corporation sought out many experts, including sociologists, to study jury deliberations. Which of the following was a major ethical concern for these sociologists?

Sociologists performing research

Which of the following would be considered a valid measure of an individual's intelligence?

What is the scientific method? Briefly describe the five basic steps that comprise the scientific method. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using the scientific method to study sociological phenomena?

If a sociologist uses information gathered by the United States Census Bureau in a study, that sociologist is performing

Of the two main types of survey instrument-the face-to-face interview and the questionnaire-the use of a questionnaire is likely to generate the higher response rate because it allows more time for the respondent to respond.

Which of the following is True of sociology?

The scientific method

While sociologists use a variety of different approaches to the study of social phenomena, they all accept that value-neutrality is essential in the interpretation of data.

An inherent problem in using secondary sources of data is that