Deck 1: Human Inquiry and Science

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT an aim of social science?

A)Judging social values
B)Predicting social phenomena
C)Understanding social regularities
D)Explaining social regularities
E)All of these choices are aims of social science

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In comparison to nonscientific inquiry,scientific inquiry:

A)takes special precaution to avoid error
B)is a semiconscious activity
C)is an activity where we are less concerned about making mistakes
D)guards against all errors
E)none of these choices

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A probabilistic explanation takes the form:

A)x is always y
B)x is never y
C)x tends to be y
D)x is y if a and b are true
E)y is always x

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Assume that Professor Rodgers from the previous question had studied only three people aged 65 or older.Suppose he concluded that the average level of happiness increased for people aged 65 and older.Rodgers would be committing:

A)the error of overgeneralization
B)the error of inaccurate observation
C)the error of illogical reasoning
D)the error of selective observation
E)no error

Question 5

A form of human interference in which what we learn about society can change reality so what we learned is not true is known as being:

A)trivial
B)exceptional
C)recursive
D)dismissive
E)evolutionary

Question 6

Epistemology is best described as:

A)the science of knowing
B)the discovery of reality through experimentation
C)the discovery of reality through agreement
D)the science of finding out
E)the logical aspect of research

Question 7

One of your friends scored in the 90s 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 the error of:

A)illogical reasoning
B)theory
C)inaccurate observation
D)selective observation
E)overgeneralization

Question 8

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:

A)nomothetic
B)idiographic
C)probabilistic
D)nomothetic and probabilistic
E)idiographic and probabilistic

Question 9

Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from:

A)direct experience
B)tradition
C)direct,personal inquiry
D)authority
E)all of these choices

Question 10

Which of the following is most likely to be a list of variables?

A)Female,Jewish,educational level
B)Plumber,professor,dentist
C)Occupation,political party preference,birthrate
D)21,violent,social class
E)Dishonest,conservative,farmer

Question 11

Social scientific theory addresses:

A)what should be
B)what is
C)matters of value
D)what should be and why
E)what is and why it should be that way

Question 12

Safeguards against error in social research include:

A)making observations more deliberate
B)replications under slightly varying circumstances
C)the use of simple and complex measurement devices
D)totally independent replications by other researchers
E)all of these choices

Question 13

Professor Rodgers found that the average level of happiness reported by people under 65 years of age declined from 1957 to 1970.However,for this same group,the average level of happiness increased slightly from 1970 to 1978.Rodgers also found that the average level of happiness reported by people age 65 and older increased from 1957 to 1978.A(the)variable(s)in this study is(are):

A)aged 65 and older
B)less than age 65
C)age
D)age 65
E)all of these choices are variables

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE of quantification?

A)It often makes our observations more explicit
B)It can make it easier to aggregate data
C)It can make it easier to summarize data
D)It opens up the possibility of statistical analysis
E)All of these choices are TRUE

Question 15

Which of the following is(are)a probabilistic statement(s)?

A)When serving as jurors,women always vote for acquittal.
B)When serving as jurors,women never vote for acquittal.
C)When serving as jurors,women tend to vote for acquittal.
D)When serving as jurors,women do not vote for acquittal.
E)None of these choices

Question 16

Methodology is best described as:

A)the science of knowing
B)the science of finding out
C)the discovery of reality through agreement
D)the discovery of reality through personal experience
E)the logical aspect of science

Question 17

An independent variable is a:

A)theoretical concept
B)variable influencing other variables
C)variable influenced by other variables
D)set of attributes either a variable influencing other variables or a variable influenced by others

Question 18

The ability to have two different,conflicting ideas in one's mind simultaneously without denying or dismissing either of them is known as:

A)nomothetic thinking
B)tolerance for ambiguity
C)idiographic thinking
D)probabilistic thinking
E)free will

Question 19

A study reported in American Sociological Review (1994)was entitled "Race Differences in Sexual Activity Among Adolescent Women." The dependent variable was probably:

A)race
B)sexual activity
C)adolescence
D)women
E)there is no independent variable

Question 20

Which of the following would a sociologist be LEAST likely to study?

A)Why crime rates are increasing in rural areas
B)The incidence of child abuse in middle-income families
C)Why Mr.Smith quit his job
D)The incidence of unemployment among white collar workers
E)Why unemployment rates are higher for Black teens than White teens

Question 21

We can predict without understanding.

Question 22

There is never a time that we should generalize

Question 23

Every observation is quantitative at the outset.

Question 24

Which of the following is FALSE concerning the use of tradition in inquiry?

A)It helps avoid the task of starting from scratch in our search for regularities
B)It demonstrates that knowledge is cumulative
C)The jumping off part for the development of knowledge is often the inherited body of information
D)It enables us to seek a different understanding of what we all know to be true
E)All of these choices are TRUE

Question 25

If an exception is found to a sociological pattern,the pattern is invalid.

Question 26

The variable age has the attribute of 18 to 24.

Question 27

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:

A)inductive reasoning
B)qualitative analysis
C)deductive reasoning
D)ordinary human inquiry
E)all of these choices

Question 28

The analysis of deviant cases - cases that do not fit the general pattern - helps guard against:

A)illogical reasoning
B)inaccurate observation
C)overgeneralization
D)selective observation
E)it does not help guard against anything

Question 29

The dichotomy of scientific research in which we exert our free will or are the product of our environment is the duality of:

A)idiographic versus nomothetic thinking
B)determinism versus agency
C)induction versus deduction
D)epistemology versus methodology
E)qualitative versus quantitative

Question 30

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.

A)experience
B)tradition
C)authority
D)the misuse of authority
E)none of the above choices

Question 31

Patterns of cause and effect are probabilistic in nature.

Question 32

Social scientific theory aims at the determination of logical and persistent patterns of regularities in social life.

Question 33

Idiographic explanations are inductive and nomothetic explanations are deductive.

Question 34

A misuse of authority occurs when experts publicly discuss their area of expertise.

Question 35

Theory that is logically inconsistent is acceptable as long as it is empirically accurate.

Question 36

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:

A)idiographic
B)nomothetic
C)probabilistic
D)quantitative
E)based on agreements

Question 37

Qualitative explanations tend to be and quantitative explanations tend to be ___ :

A)both tend to be idiographic
B)both tend to be nomothetic
C)idiographic,nomothetic
D)nomothetic,idiographic
E)there is no tendency.