Deck 2: Doing Sociology

Question 1

In the United States, ________ dictates that a groom should not see the bride before the wedding.

A) experience
B) cultural tradition
C) authority
D) totalitarianism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In 1942, a team of scientists embarked on a mission to create the first atomic bomb. Working on complex theories in physics, math, and chemistry they eventually succeeded by testing their theory by setting off the first nuclear explosion on July 16, 1945. Such a process used by these scientists that begins with theory and is later tested through observation is called ________.

A) deductive reasoning
B) manifest functional analysis
C) inductive reasoning
D) latent functional analysis

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In the proposition "poverty causes crime," what role does "poverty" play?

A) It is the intervening variable.
B) It is the rival causal factor.
C) It is the independent variable.
D) It is the dependent variable.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Akasha is living among the members of an indigenous tribe in the Amazon River Basin. She talks and interacts with them regularly to learn as much as possible about them and their behavior. In view of this, what type of research design has Akasha chosen?

A) the ethnographic interview
B) survey research
C) experimental design
D) content analysis

Question 5

convert(s) data to numerical form so they can be subjected to a variety of statistical techniques and measurements.

A) Longitudinal studies
B) Quantitative analysis
C) Cross sectional studies
D) Qualitative studies

Question 6

What is the term for the research design used by the U.S. Census Bureau when it uses the data it has collected for comparative and historical studies?

A) secondary analysis
B) experimental design
C) case study
D) ethnography

Question 7

What is the major difference between the Iowa School and the Chicago School as it pertains to research methods?

A) The Chicago School is conflict-oriented, and the Iowa School is based on symbolic interactionism.
B) The Chicago School is based on structural functionalism, and the Iowa School is based on the conflict perspective.
C) The Chicago School is quantitative-based and the Iowa School is qualitative-based.
D) The Chicago School relies on introspection and subjective interpretation, while the Iowa School insists that quantitative methods can be used.

Question 8

A set of interrelated propositions, or statements, that attempt to explain some phenomenon is called ________.

A) a paradigm
B) a pentameter
C) a hyperbole
D) a theory

Question 9

Kenny is writing his master's thesis on motorcycle gangs. In order to gather data about gangs he has decided to take six months off from his routine responsibilities and ride with the Pagans. For this six month period Kenny will do everything the Pagans do, including illegal activity, partying, and all other activities in which Pagans engage. In view of this, what type of research design is Kenny using?

A) Full participation
B) Survey research
C) Triangulation
D) Content analysis

Question 10

Cathy is conducting a research project that measures the level of student satisfaction as it pertains to academic services at her university. The university has 10,000 undergraduate students. Cathy will be surveying 1,000 of these students by choosing them in a random manner. In view of this, which statement is most accurate in describing Cathy's research?

A) Cathy's research lacks a population but it includes a simple random sample of 1,000.
B) Cathy's research sample is composed of the 10,000 undergraduate students and the population is the 1,000 students surveyed.
C) Cathy's research lacks a simple random sample but it includes a population of 10,000.
D) The population in Cathy's study is the 10,000 undergraduate students and the sample is the 1,000 students surveyed.

Question 11

Marvin Wolfgang conducted a classic study of all male babies born in Philadelphia from the year they were born (1945) until their 18th birthdays to track the number of times they were taken into custody for delinquent acts. Such a study that collects data over a long period of time is called a[n] ________ study.

A) cross sectional
B) experimental
C) hypothetical
D) longitudinal

Question 12

The professor of economics who made a comparison of the natural sciences to the social sciences and concluded that the social sciences are different but not inferior to the natural sciences was ________.

A) Talcott Parsons
B) C. Wright Mills
C) Kai Erikson
D) Fritz Machlup

Question 13

What is the basis for the type of knowledge called science?

A) trial-and-error learning gained through experience
B) faith in that which cannot be proven
C) empirical evidence gained through direct, systematic observation
D) acceptance of a body of facts passed from one generation to the next

Question 14

Sammy is examining a set of data he collected on the number of times a person is arrested and the severity of the sentence imposed if the person is found guilty. It appears that every increase in the number of arrests results in an increase in the severity of the sentence. In view of this, which statement best describes Sammy's efforts?

A) Sammy has developed a null hypothesis.
B) Sammy is involved in experimentation.
C) Sammy is involved in completing a correlation exercise.
D) Sammy is calculating the standard deviation of criminal behavior.

Question 15

What phrase best describes polling data, especially as it is used by politicians, advertisers, and the mass media?

A) as real as rain
B) tainted truth
C) garbage in...garbage out
D) genuine and realistic

Question 16

Penelope has just administered an IQ test to a group of juveniles at the shelter where she works. Based on other evaluations, such as exam scores, reasoning ability, and problem-solving success, it appears the test Penelope used accurately measured the intellectual capability of those who completed it. In view of this, which statement best describes the IQ test Penelope used?

A) The test is high in reliability.
B) The test is high in validity.
C) The test is high in both reliability and validity.
D) The test may be high in reliability but it is impossible to measure its validity.

Question 17

Anthony is conducting research on the homeless and the efforts homeless people make to find full-time work. He has established "homelessness" as meaning "the absence of a permanent or temporary residence that can be verified by an approving authority, such as the post office or municipal authority" and defines "full-time work" as being "employment with the same firm or agency in excess of 30 hours a week that is assumed to be for an indefinite period of time." What has Anthony done by specifying how homelessness and full-time work are to be measured?

A) He has formed a hypothesis.
B) He has established operational definitions.
C) He has engaged in the process of inductive reasoning.
D) He has engaged in the process of deductive reasoning.

Question 18

What type of research answers the questions "what" and "how" and is often used to profile religious cults, motorcycle gangs, or teenage Satanic cults?

A) exploratory research
B) explanatory research
C) evaluation research
D) descriptive research

Question 19

Which sociological perspective suggests the researcher must take the "role of the other" and view the world from the subject's point of view, but must maintain the distinction between everyday and scientific conceptions of reality?

A) the structural functionalist perspective
B) the conflict perspective
C) the interactionist perspective
D) the feminist perspective

Question 20

Relying on doctors to diagnose our illnesses, attorneys for legal advice, meteorologists to predict the weather, and professors to teach subjects in their chosen fields all serve as examples of a type of knowledge called ________.

A) faith
B) cultural tradition
C) authority
D) experience

Question 21

Nick will be using content analysis to analyze the content of newspapers printed during the first Iraq War to determine whether the media played a role in encouraging hostilities. In view of this, which method of analysis will Nick employ?

A) Because of the nature of his project Nick can only use qualitative analysis.
B) Because of the nature of his project Nick can only use quantitative analysis.
C) Because of the nature of his project Nick can use neither qualitative nor quantitative analysis.
D) Nick can use either qualitative or quantitative analysis and may combine the two methods if he wishes.

Question 22

Which descriptive phrase best describes information provided by the media to the public?

A) objective, accurate, and enlightening
B) comprehensive, sedate, and utilitarian
C) brief, sensationalistic, and entertaining
D) conservative, unchallenged, and timeless

Question 23

Dr. Kellogg is gathering data on inmates at the state penitentiary and has qualified over 90 percent of her sample as being in poverty prior to their arrest and conviction. She has quickly concluded that "poverty causes crime." Another research assistant using the same sample has noted that at least 80 percent of the sample had a serious drug or alcohol problem. Based on Dr. Kellogg's conclusion that "poverty causes crime," what role does drug and alcohol use play in the proposition?

A) It has no role at all because it suggests a totally different proposition.
B) Drug and alcohol use can be classified as an intervening variable.
C) Drug and alcohol use now becomes the dependent variable.
D) Drug and alcohol use now becomes the independent variable.

Question 24

In the proposition "Frequent steroid use causes organ damage in humans," which of the following segments of the proposition qualify as the dependent variable?

A) organ damage
B) steroid use
C) humans
D) frequent

Question 25

What will be the impact of technomedia on sociological research in the future?

A) The impact of technomedia will probably be greater.
B) The impact of technomedia will probably be less.
C) There will probably be little change in the impact of technomedia on research.
D) It is impossible to predict the impact technomedia will have on research in the future.

Question 26

Conceptual definitions are precise ways to describe general ideas and thoughts as a part of scientific inquiry.

Question 27

Rather than being "proven," hypotheses are subjected to evaluation through research findings on the basis of whether or not they can be supported or rejected.

Question 28

Dr. Lori Cregeen collected the ages of the students in her senior seminar class. They were 19, 19, 20, 20, 20, 21, 21, 21, 21, 24, and 30. What was the mode of the ages?

A) 21
B) 21.5
C) 236
D) 19.0 to 30.0

Question 29

Dr. Pagnac administers the same aptitude test to the boys in his class every three months. After a year of testing he has noticed that the scores of each student vary very little. Each student consistently scores within a few points of his previous score. In view of this, which statement best describes the aptitude test Dr. Pagnac is using?

A) The test is high in validity.
B) The test is high in reliability.
C) The test is highly valid but lacks reliability.
D) The test is high in both reliability and validity.

Question 30

Because of its macro-level application, which research method is most popular among functionalists?

A) ethnographic interviews
B) large-scale surveys
C) case studies
D) experimental design

Question 31

Which early social scientist stressed the use of social facts and quantitative methods and laid the foundation for the functionalist perspective in analyzing data?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Howard Becker
D) Edwin Lemert

Question 32

Which statement is the best description of correlation?

A) The independent variable is the cause of the dependent variable.
B) Correlation is the defining of a concept using other concepts.
C) A change in one variable is accompanied by a change in the other.
D) Correlation is a plausible explanation of reality.

Question 33

Dr. Burcham is teaching two sections of Introduction to Sociology. He has developed a new audio-visual lecture presentation that he is convinced will result in greater student interest and better grades. In order to test his hypothesis that his audio-visual lecture will increase student achievement he is using in Section 01. In order to make a comparison of scores at the end of the semester Dr. Burcham will continue to use his traditional teaching style in Section 02. In view of this, which statement is most accurate regarding the two sections of Dr. Burcham's class?

A) Section 01 is the experimental group and Section 02 is the placebo group.
B) Section 01 is the control group and Section 02 is the experimental group.
C) Section 01 is the experimental group and Section 02 is the control group.
D) Section 01 is the placebo group and Section 02 is the experimental group.

Question 34

Dr. Zuchov has placed all the exam scores on the board from the lowest to highest. There are 31 scores. Jimmy had an 85 on the exam. There were as many scores below Jimmy's score of 85 as there were above it. In view of this, what significance does the score of 85 have in this set of data?

A) The score of 85 is the mean score.
B) The score of 85 is the mode.
C) The score of 85 is the standard deviation.
D) The score of 85 is the median.

Question 35

What sociological perspective is most aligned with the research methods of ethnographic interview, participant observation, and case studies?

A) the interactionist perspective
B) the structural functionalist perspective
C) the conflict perspective
D) the neo-conflict perspective

Question 36

Experience is one of the most common ways of gaining knowledge and relies on trial-and-error learning.

Question 37

The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is best known for his use of inductive reasoning, that is, making a number of observations (gathering evidence) and then coming to a conclusion or theory (solving the crime).

Question 38

Which phrase best describes experience as a type of knowledge?

A) an accepted body of facts passed from one generation to the next
B) a strong belief in truths that cannot be verified
C) knowledge gained from individuals recognized as experts
D) trial-and-error learning

Question 39

Zoe is planning to use triangulation as a part of her senior research project. In view of this, which statement best describes what Zoe will do?

A) Zoe has chosen a quasi-experimental design to determine cause and effect.
B) Zoe has one group which will receive treatment and a second that will serve as a control group.
C) Zoe will engage in a lengthy ethnographic study with the selected group under study.
D) Zoe will use three or more techniques to gather and analyze her data.

Question 40

Correlation and causation are virtually identical....a strong correlation can be interpreted as one variable causing the other.

Question 41

The ethnographic interview is a type of qualitative research design where the researcher seeks to "learn from people" rather than simply "study people."

Question 42

The research conducted by Laud Humphreys that raised concerns in the academic community over ethics violations addressed Satanism among adolescents.

Question 43

The impact of the media on sociological research will probably decrease in the future.

Question 44

In the theory-building process the researcher must begin with an identification of relevant variables.

Question 45

Symbolic interactionists are more likely to use qualitative research methods rather than quantitative methods.

Question 46

A survey that presents a question (such as "Which brand of toothpaste do you use?") and then offers the respondent the opportunity to choose from one of four responses (a. Crest b. Colgate c. Aqua-Fresh d. Listerine) is an example of an open-ended question.

Question 47

In the measures of central tendency, the median is often a more realistic "average" than the mean.

Question 48

Sociologists believe that media polls are, at best, tainted truths that oversimplify and distort complex social issues.

Question 49

For experimental research to be valid there must be a control group, experimental group, and placebo group in the design.

Question 50

Jessie is doing a study of the students at her university regarding their opinion of the student parking policy. She has stationed herself at the college union and has given a questionnaire to every third student who enters the union. Jessie's method of collecting the data can be considered as a random sample.

Question 51

Research that measures the effectiveness of a program and questions whether or not the program works is called ________.

Question 52

The sociologist who studied the "tearoom trade" and was sanctioned by members of his profession for severe violation of ethics was ________.

Question 53

The first sociological study of any phenomenon that focuses on what takes place will most likely qualify as exploratory research.

Question 54

The two theoretical perspectives that rely on a macrolevel of analysis when examining data are the ________ and the ________.

Question 55

A strong belief in truths that cannot be verified by personal experience that serves as an important source of knowledge in every culture is ________.

Question 56

Functionalists prefer to employ qualitative methods in their research because of its emphasis on the value of individuals within society.

Question 57

Content analysis examines and analyzes communication and may employ either qualitative or quantitative methods or a combination of the two.

Question 58

Feminist theorists are critical of a great deal of sociological research because it involves studies conducted by men using male subjects with the results being assumed to be equally applicable to men and women.

Question 59

The theory-building process that puts the researcher in the role of a detective who pieces together "clues" from specific observations in order to develop a general understanding of the overall puzzle is ________.

Question 60

With the advent of television documentaries and case studies such as those seen in 60 Minutes and on reality television, infotainment has become a prime example of sound sociological research.

Question 61

Define the measures of central tendency. Using the following scores from an exam [46, 55, 58, 60, 75, 78, 80, 85, 85, 85, 87, 98, 99], calculate the measures of central tendency and choose the one that provides the best description of the class's success on the exam. Explain why you chose this measure.

Question 62

The research method that is described by sociologists as "part science and part art" is ________.

Question 63

The use of multiple (usually three) techniques to gather or analyze research data is called ________.

Question 64

How does media influence affect sociological research?

Question 65

The interdisciplinary subfield of sociology that combines several of the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physiology) with the major principles of sociology is ________.

Question 66

The combination of the media's search for sensationalistic and entertaining reports with expertise from sociologists on issues such as crime, divorce, group behavior, and other topics is called ________.

Question 67

In an experimental group, subjects sometimes experience a change in behavior not because of the treatment to which they are exposed but simply because they know they are being studied. Such a phenomenon in research is called the ________.

Question 68

List and briefly discuss the eight steps of the scientific method.

Question 69

Compare and contrast quantitative research designs with qualitative research designs. Provide an example of each along with criticisms of each.

Question 70

Explain why sociology qualifies as a science. Why are the social "sciences" criticized for not being sciences?