Deck 9: Unobtrusive Methods

Question 1

Research which focuses on the past presents special methodological challenges including ______.

A) available evidence that may represent a sample biased toward more newsworthy figures
B) historical research that cannot use quantitative techniques
C) an over-abundance of data from each historical timeframe
D) historical research is not conjunctional

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Qualitative historical research can be described in which of the following ways?

A) holistic and conjunctural
B) controlled and case-oriented
C) accessible and temporal
D) comprehensive and experimental

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is a unique challenge faced by researchers when using secondary data analysis?

A) A researcher must collect original data.
B) A researcher is able to design data collection methods best suited for his or her research question.
C) A researcher cannot engage in the iterative process of making observations and developing concepts.
D) A researcher cannot facilitate comparisons with other samples.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The U.S. Census has been conducted every ten years since what year?

A) 1770
B) 1780
C) 1790
D) 1800

Question 5

Which of the following is an advantage of secondary data analysis?

A) It focuses on small amounts of data.
B) It largely avoids data collection problems.
C) It limits the comparison of multiple samples.
D) A researcher should expect to experience no difficulty conducting follow-ups.

Question 6

Analysis of data collected by others does not create the same potential for ______ harm as does the collection of primary data.

A) any
B) immediate
C) permanent
D) temporary

Question 7

Janet is concerned with the context in which the events she is studying occurred and the interrelations between different events and processes she is observing. Her concern is ______.

A) conjunctural
B) qualitative
C) quantitative
D) historical

Question 8

Previously collected data that are used in a new analysis are called ______ data.

A) secondary
B) historical
C) obtrusive
D) patterned

Question 9

In regard to collecting primary data, how are analyses of historical documents in media different?

A) There are fewer options regarding confidentiality for human subjects.
B) The potential for harming human subjects is less.
C) There are different restrictions regarding participation of human subjects.
D) There are fewer conflicts of interest for human subjects who participate.

Question 10

Which term describes massive datasets produced by people that are accessible in computer-readable forms?

A) secondary Analysis
B) survey Data
C) Big Data
D) unobtrusive Results

Question 11

Content analysts create variables for analysis by ______ of particular words or themes and then testing relations between the resulting variables.

A) counting occurrences
B) measuring affects
C) noting the relationships
D) judging reactions

Question 12

Research concerned with the context in which events occurred and the interrelations between different events and processes is known as ______ research.

A) obtrusive
B) secondary
C) Big Data
D) holistic

Question 13

A ______ is a frequency graph produced by Google's database of all words printed in more than one third of the world's books over time.

A) Ngram
B) bread crumbs
C) Big Data source
D) trend

Question 14

______ research accounts for the related series of events that unfold over time.

A) Inductive
B) Temporal
C) Secondary
D) Holistic

Question 15

A research method of systematically analyzing and making inferences from recorded human communication is known as ______.

A) experimentation
B) survey research
C) content analysis
D) historical records archival

Question 16

Which of the following is a step in a systematic, qualitative, comparative historical study?

A) specifying a theoretical framework and identifying key concepts
B) presenting results for peer review and publication
C) conducting content analysis
D) adjusting for deviations from the proposed causal pattern

Question 17

Qualitative, historical research is ______, focusing on the nation or other unit as a whole.

A) conjunctural
B) case-oriented
C) narrative
D) temporal

Question 18

What is one common measurement problem in historical research projects?

A) the lack of data from some historical periods
B) Tests of reliability are easy but time consuming.
C) an overabundance of samples from an array of groups
D) Scientific principles for data collection are strictly modern.

Question 19

What is the first stage in conducting a content analysis?

A) interviewing fellow researchers to narrow a study focus
B) determining and delineating units of analysis
C) selecting a sample
D) identifying a population of documents or other textual sources

Question 20

How can unobtrusive measures improve measurement validity?

A) avoiding the bias of self-reports
B) allowing researchers to collect data in real time
C) collecting data with the assistance of individual research subjects
D) improving confidentiality and informed consent

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true about U.S. Census data?

A) It provides basic data on the economy and economic trends.
B) It gauges public sentiment on a variety of social issues.
C) It is not typically seen as an appropriate source of secondary data.
D) It is used to appropriate seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Question 22

Which of the following represents a good example of a secondary data source?

A) the Library of Congress
B) student self-reports
C) survey results
D) newsletters

Question 23

______ is/are always a concern with secondary data analysis.

A) Linking specific hypothesis to available data
B) The quality of available data
C) The high costs associated
D) Identifying bias in original research

Question 24

As part of her research, Jill reviews hundreds of journal articles comparing the impacts of diet on school performance in pre-schoolers. She has conducted a(n) ______.

A) census
B) Ngram
C) temporal research
D) content analysis

Question 25

Juan is measuring the prevalence of drinking in college dorms by counting the number of empty alcohol bottles in the surrounding dumpsters. This is an example of ______ research.

A) unobtrusive
B) qualitative
C) temporal
D) case-oriented

Question 26

The collection of Big Data likely has which consequence?

A) increased surveillance of individuals and groups
B) increased confidentiality and anonymity
C) data sets that contain information from all groups in society
D) lessing of restrictions on invasions of privacy as the Internet grows

Question 27

Historical research cannot use quantitative techniques.

Question 28

Sources of Big Data are increasingly hard to come by.

Question 29

When enormous amounts of data are available for analysis, the usual procedures for making data anonymous may no longer ensure that it stays that way, creating new concerns about research ethics.

Question 30

Compared with collecting original data, secondary data analysis offers few advantages for social researchers.

Question 31

Ethical concerns are greater if research crosses national boundaries.

Question 32

Qualitative data sets are the most available type of secondary research.

Question 33

Using Big Data, government agencies can learn about their customers from analyzing patterns revealed in their records.

Question 34

Comparisons between countries during one time period can help social scientists identify the limitations of explanations based on single-nation research.

Question 35

Computer-aided qualitative analysis programs can help, in many cases, develop coding procedures and then carry out the content coding.

Question 36

The standards of validity applied to data collected with other quantitative methods differs from the criteria for judging quantitative content analyses of text.

Question 37

Why is it important to understand local or historical norms when doing comparative or historical research? What steps are ethical researchers working in other cultures obligated to take?

Question 38

Describe the when it would be appropriate to conduct a content analysis and the steps or phases a researcher would follow to do so?