Deck 4: How Do We Know What We Know the Methods of the Sociologist

Question 1

What do the Milgram research (shock), Rosenthal and Jacobsen (teachers' expectations), and Humphreys (gay men) have in common?

A) All were experimental research
B) All were field research
C) All involve ethical concerns
D) All used random samples

Answer 1

C

Question 2

__________ methods often rely on inductive and inferential reasoning to understand the texture of social life.

A) Experimental
B) Quantitative
C) Macro
D) Qualitative

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Sociological research

A) Proves what we already know from common sense
B) Can show that much of what passes for common sense is actually wrong
C) Reveals that most human behavior is caused by nature
D) Doesn't use data, therefore it is easier than research in other sciences

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the relationship between people's sex (male/female) and choice of major (sociology, architecture, nursing, physics, etc), sex is the

A) Dependent variable
B) Control variable
C) independent variable
D) It isn't a variable - sex can't change

Question 5

What flaw did researcher Eric Turkheimer find in past studies of twins and intelligence?

A) effects of diet and nutrition were not accounted for
B) only fraternal twins were included
C) only male twins were studied
D) only middle-class twins were studied

Question 6

Field researchers often use __________ , a method used by Anthropologists, who identify themselves as researchers and try to understand the world from the point of view of those they are studying.

A) Experiments
B) Surveys
C) Content analysis
D) Ethnography

Question 7

Qualitative interview studies generally use what kind of sample?

A) None - only surveys use samples
B) Usually a large random sample
C) Almost always a stratified sample
D) Typically a small purposive sample

Question 8

Quantitative analysis tends to use __________ reasoning, in which researchers figure out their results from demonstrable facts.

A) Macro
B) Inferential
C) Deductive
D) Inductive

Question 9

In research, the factor that is considered to be the cause or influence is a(n)

A) Dependent variable
B) Sample
C) Independent variable
D) Relationship

Question 10

Researchers often use data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has been studying Americans' attitudes and behaviors since 1972. Use of this resource is an example of

A) Secondary analysis
B) Experimental research
C) Detached observation
D) Content analysis

Question 11

Research occurring in its "natural" setting is

A) Conducted in the field
B) Conducted in the laboratory
C) Quantitative
D) Unbiased

Question 12

In observation research, we directly observe

A) attitudes
B) behavior
C) statistics
D) personal values

Question 13

Which of these research types typically includes ethnography, interviews, and field studies?

A) Experimental
B) Qualitative
C) Survey
D) Quantitative

Question 14

Annie chooses a random sample of a neighborhood, every fifth block in a small town, and then attempts to include all the people on these blocks in her research. Annie's research is using a ________ sample.

A) Cluster
B) Random
C) Systematic
D) Hierarchical

Question 15

Regarding bias in social research,

A) Neither qualitative nor quantitative methods has biases
B) Only quantitative methods are biased
C) Only qualitative methods are biased
D) Both qualitative and quantitative methods have biases

Question 16

In the hypothesis, "children whose parents are married are more likely than those whose parents are divorced to have academic success and successful friendships, " what is the independent variable?

A) Friendships
B) Children
C) Academic success
D) Marital status of parents

Question 17

__________ research includes surveys and polls, and involves statistical analysis.

A) Qualitative
B) Macro
C) Inferential
D) Quantitative

Question 18

In an investigation of how IQ affects students' grades in sociology class, the variables are

A) Independent: IQ; dependent: grades in sociology
B) Independent: students' grades; dependent: sociology class
C) Independent: students; dependent: grade
D) Independent: sociology class; dependent: IQ

Question 19

Compared to other sciences' phenomena, such as gravity or particles, the phenomena examined in sociology

A) Don't behave in exactly the same ways all the time
B) Are even more predictable
C) Are completely unpredictable, practically random
D) Must be studied with experiments

Question 20

The divide in sociological research is between what two forms of methodology?

A) Objective & anecdotal
B) Both & and
C) Qualitative & quantitative
D) Macro & micro

Question 21

Why is it important to review the literature about previous research on your topic?

A) To make sure nobody has ever done the same study before
B) So that you will be able to prove that the previous researchers were wrong.
C) To help you refine your own thinking about the topic.
D) To ensure that you will test a different hypothesis.

Question 22

The method in which researchers study variables such as the portrayals of girls and boys or people of varying races and ethnicities in samples of books, magazines, television shows, etc. is called

A) Ethnography
B) Content analysis
C) Experiment
D) Secondary analysis

Question 23

In sociology, predictability is

A) impossible because people are random
B) easy because human nature is known
C) difficult because human behavior is complex
D) relatively easy, because people behave similarly in each situation they are in

Question 24

If two variables are correlated and one occurs earlier in time than the other, then we can conclude

A) That one variable is the cause of the other
B) That the earlier variable is the cause of the later variable
C) That the earlier variable might be the cause of the later variable
D) That the later variable might be the cause of the earlier variable

Question 25

One of the criteria for determining whether variable X causes variable Y is that

A) Variable X must occur prior to Variable Y
B) Variable Y must occur prior to Variable X
C) Variables X and Y must occur simultaneously
D) The order of X and Y is not relevant

Question 26

Being able to reasonably guess human behavior in particular situations is referred to as

A) Causality
B) Predictability
C) Generalizability
D) Comparability

Question 27

Sociologists are conducting fewer ________ now than they once did.

A) Field studies
B) Interview studies
C) Surveys
D) Experiments

Question 28

A(n) __________ predicts a relationship between independent and dependent variables.

A) Theory
B) Operationalization
C) Correlation
D) Hypothesis

Question 29

What is true about interview studies?

A) Replication is easy and convenient.
B) They are usually less biased than other forms of research
C) They are not easily generalizable because of the sample size.
D) They include a very large sample as the norm.

Question 30

A variable with possible responses ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree is called a

A) Scale
B) Gradient correlation
C) Stratified index
D) Cluster survey

Question 31

In a random sample,

A) Researchers follow a system such as choosing every tenth name in the telephone book
B) The sample will always give an accurate representation of the population
C) Researchers stop people in a public place, such as a mall or street corner
D) Every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

Question 32

Why is peer review of your project important?

A) Because you can refine your own thinking about the topic by reviewing prior research.
B) So that you won't redo a project that has already been done before.
C) In order to ensure your research meets appropriate standards.
D) It is not important; you wouldn't want someone to "steal" your ideas!

Question 33

In sociological research, we approach the truth by addressing two issues:

A) macro and micro levels
B) functionalism and conflict perspectives
C) quantitative and qualitative methods
D) predictability and causality

Question 34

If people know they are being studied, they may change their behavior and even attitudes. This is called

A) a spurious correlation
B) the survey phenomenon
C) the observer effect
D) experimental realization

Question 35

In a study of the effects of gender and race on academic success, you decide to use Grade Point Average (GPA) for the dependent variable. With this decision, you have

A) Operationalized a variable
B) Analyzed a variable
C) Developed a hypothesis
D) Defined the problem

Question 36

The text points out that where there are more storks, there are more babies. In this example, for which reason can we NOT establish a causal link?

A) Variable A (storks) comes after Variable B (babies)
B) There is an observer effect leading to inaccurate counts of babies
C) The variables are not correlated
D) There is an extraneous variable (rural/urban area) influencing the observed correlation

Question 37

At what point in the research process are hypotheses developed?

A) before reviewing literature, so that you won't be biased from other people's work
B) after reviewing literature and learning what previous researchers have found
C) after analyzing the data and determining how the variables are related
D) after collecting data but before conducting analyses

Question 38

Analyzing your data

A) Is done only in quantitative research, because qualitative research has no data
B) Is part of operationalization
C) Is done before developing your hypotheses
D) Involves different techniques, depending on the research design

Question 39

Every person who is pregnant must be female. Therefore, being female is a __________ cause of pregnancy.

A) Sufficient
B) Necessary
C) Spurious
D) Extraneous

Question 40

Seventeenth-century philosopher Auguste Comte, the founder of sociology, believed that ________.

A) human behavior is wildly unpredictable
B) human society follows permanent, unchangeable laws
C) human behavior is dependent upon genetics
D) humans are most influenced by their environment

Question 41

Certain groups, such as children, college students, and prisoners, are considered __________ and IRBs require special procedures for studies using them as subjects.

A) taboo
B) especially desirable
C) spurious
D) protected

Question 42

The Tuskegee project, in which nearly 400 African Americans were left untreated for syphilis to find out what would happen, is an example of

A) harm to participants
B) being seduced by science
C) overstated results
D) the use of an IRB

Question 43

For researchers, one of the most difficult temptations to avoid is ________.

A) allowing personal bias to influence subject choice
B) constructing research only on topics of personal interest
C) making hypotheses based on previous knowledge
D) overstating the results

Question 44

Three important issues to keep in mind when conducting research are

A) Being ethical, not overstating results, and avoiding bias
B) Being ethical, proving your hypotheses, and being published in a peer reviewed journal
C) Proving your hypotheses, doing something that hasn't been done before, and being ethical
D) Doing something that hasn't been done before, avoiding bias, and proving your hypotheses

Question 45

A study of people in an internet chat room dedicated to an unusual interest such as Ming dynasty pottery or buffalo nickels

A) is using a random sample of the population
B) is a field experiment
C) is an example of overstating results
D) could be unreliable since the participants aren't necessarily who they say they are

Question 46

Computer assisted interviewing techniques can have the advantage of

A) increasing people's likelihood of revealing sensitive information
B) proving the researcher's hypotheses
C) allowing the researcher to more easily demonstrate causation
D) increasing the researcher's control over extraneous, confounding, and intervening variables

Question 47

Value neutrality refers to

A) Not letting any of your values guide your research
B) Trying to keep your values from distorting your research results
C) Allowing your values to determine which results to pay attention to and which to ignore
D) Developing research to confirm what you expect to find

Question 48

A(n) __________ is a method that allows us to see people's worlds up close, in intimate detail, bringing out subtle patterns as well as structural forces that shape realities.

Question 49

Surveys, polls, and secondary analysis of data sets typically involve __________ analysis

Question 50

Quantitative methodology is more likely to rely on __________ reasoning, while Qualitative is more likely to use __________ reasoning.

Question 51

A researcher investigating race and the likelihood of getting a loan sends black, white, and interracial couples, who are part of the research team, to banks to apply for loans. The couples have the same (fake) data on their applications. This project

A) is an example of content analysis
B) is a lab experiment
C) is a field experiment
D) can't be an experiment, since there are two variables (race and loan success)

Question 52

When conducting research, what must a sociologist do to define the problem?

A) refine the questions and shape them into a manageable research topic
B) ensure that this research is unique
C) review all existing studies for clues
D) predict the outcome

Question 53

__________ variables cause or influence __________ variables.

Question 54

In a survey of about 80 students in two Sociology classes, Nate found that 43 of the students recycled cans, and 37 did not. Based on this, Nate reported that "the vast majority of students at the college are dedicated recyclers." Nate appears to have

A) Proved his hypothesis
B) Used a random sample of college students
C) Overstated his results
D) Correlated recycling behavior

Question 55

Informed consent can be waived

A) Never - a researcher must always obtain informed consent
B) Anytime that full disclosure would affect the results
C) If subjects are not being harmed and full disclosure would affect the project
D) If it is necessary in order to prove the hypotheses

Question 56

A researcher is hired by a company that manufactures solar roof panels to study attitudes toward solar power. The researcher asks the company's customers their opinion of using alternative energy such as solar energy, and finds that 95% of the customers are in favor of using solar power. This study

A) is biased
B) used an experiment
C) used content analysis
D) shows an important correlation about Americans' attitudes about alternative energy.

Question 57

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) exists to

A) Provide funding for worthy research projects
B) Ensure protection of research participants
C) determine whether research projects have been done before
D) review whether researchers have plagiarized their work

Question 58

Rosenthal and Jacobsen studied whether teachers' expectations would influence students' performance by telling elementary school teachers that randomly chosen students had extremely high IQs. The students who had been randomly chosen did indeed do better than those who had not. Considering the students who were NOT randomly identified with "high IQs", and who did NOT do as well in the class, a problem with Rosenthal and Jacobsen's research is

A) Overstating results
B) Value neutrality
C) Confounding correlation with causation
D) Causing potential harm to research subjects

Question 59

__________ refers to formal and systematic information, organized and coherent.

Question 60

In research, confidentiality refers to the researcher

A) Not knowing the participants' names and/or identifying information.
B) Knowing but never revealing the participants' names and/or identifying information.
C) Confiding the participants' names and/or identifying information only to official agencies such as the government, research organizations, and universities.
D) Keeping the results of the research project confidential, i.e. not releasing the results

Question 61

In order to help refine your topic and learn what's already been done and found, it is important to review __________.

Question 62

__________ refers to being able to reasonably guess human behavior in particular situations.

Question 63

A researcher who decides to measure academic success with Grade Point Average (GPA) has __________ the variable.

Question 64

In a(n) __________ sample, researchers choose a random or systematic sample of areas such as blocks or neighborhoods, then study people within those areas.

Question 65

A _________ sample involves picking every "nth" element of the population, for example every 10^th or 15^th name from a list.

Question 66

Prof. Goldstein operationalizes attitude toward government spending on the environment with a five-point __________, ranging from "way too little" to "way too much."

Question 67

Because the subjects of social science research are often unpredictable or even irrational, the __________ can never be known, though it can be approached by examining predictability and causality.

Question 68

We hope that if we can understand enough variables such as race, sex, age, region, religiosity, etc, then we can reasonably guess human behavior in particular situations. This reasonable guess is the essence of __________.

Question 69

Going without food and water for a month initiates or produces death, thus it is a __________ cause of death.

Question 70

In a causal relationship, the __________ variable is the cause, and the __________ variable is the effect.

Question 71

Although internet chat rooms can provide samples of people with unusual or specialized interests, the people may not be who they claim to be, hence the data may be __________.

Question 72

In a study of whether parental divorce influences children's social and academic characteristics, parental divorce is the__________.

Question 73

One of the criteria to determine __________ is correlation, that is, the variables must be related to each other.

Question 74

IQ is related to how much people study, which, in turn, is related to final exam scores. In this example, time studying is a(n) __________ variable.

Question 75

We can conclude __________ if four criteria are met: two variables must be related, one must precede the other, there must be no extraneous variables influencing the relationship, and the researcher must not have influenced the relationship.

Question 76

If a researcher is observing children's interactions from behind a one-way mirror, so that his/her presence is unobtrusive and thus not influencing the children's behavior, the researcher is conducting __________ observation.

Question 77

A(n) __________ predicts a relationship between independent and dependent variables.

Question 78

An example of a __________ is sending prospective car buyers of different races and ethnicities to car dealers to see whether race and ethnicity influence the price and financing they are offered.

Question 79

__________ is a method in which the researcher analyzes "artifacts" such as books, movies, or magazines.

Question 80

Although there is a correlation between the numbers of storks in areas and the numbers of babies born in those areas, it is not possible to conclude that the two variables have a __________ relationship.