Deck 11: Multiple Methods: Two or More Approaches Are Better Than One

Question 1

Which basic approach to social research lends itself best to studies of long-term social change?

A) Experimentation
B) Survey research
C) Qualitative research
D) Analysis of existing data

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which basic approach to social research is most effective in providing a holistic and contextual understanding of social actions?

A) Experimentation
B) Survey research
C) Field research
D) Analysis of existing data

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Andrew Cherlin and associates' study of the influence of abuse on marriage and cohabitation

A) integrated field research methods with survey research methods.
B) compared surveys of respondents in low-income and high-income areas.
C) replicated a survey five times within a period of 10 years.
D) incorporated an experimental design within surveys of three communities.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

As Cherlin and associates discovered, one effect of abuse on marriage and cohabitation was abated unions, in which

A) women withdrew from serious relationships with men altogether.
B) women constantly moved from one relationship to another.
C) women preferred cohabiting, nonmarried relationships.
D) women married after becoming pregnant as teenagers.

Question 5

Cherlin and associates found that women who were single or in abated unions were most likely to have experienced abuse

A) in childhood only.
B) in adulthood only.
C) in both childhood and adulthood.
D) as teen mothers.

Question 6

Comparing the results of a survey and field experiment on employment discrimination, Pager and Quillian showed that

A) the two approaches yielded similar results.
B) surveys are a more effective means of assessing job discrimination.
C) neither approach provides a valid assessment of job discrimination.
D) what employers said they would do in the survey did not match what they did in the experiment.

Question 7

Pager and associates' study of employment discrimination in New York City compared the experiences of two teams of testers as they applied for a job

A) one team of Black applicants and the other team of white testers.
B) each team consisted of one Black and one white tester.
C) each team consisted of a Black, Latino, and white tester.
D) a randomly chosen applicant of each team had a criminal record.

Question 8

Field notes taken by testers in Pager and associates' field experiment (or audit study) on employment discrimination enabled the researchers to

A) verify the results of the field experiment.
B) identify consistent patterns of racial discrimination.
C) identify racist employers.
D) identify individual differences among same-race testers.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of job channeling, as discovered in Pager and associates' study of employment discrimination?

A) After a Black applicant is told that a position has already been filled, the position is offered to a white applicant.
B) A Black tester applying for a sales position is offered a job as a stock boy.
C) An employer removes a job listing when only minority candidates apply for the job.
D) A white candidate with a criminal record is hired as a laborer.

Question 10

To study unpredictability in work schedules and hours, Clawson and Gerstel used a mixed methods strategy that involved which combination of approaches?

A) Experiment and survey
B) Survey and field observation
C) Field observation and in-depth interviews
D) Survey, in-depth interviews, field observation, and analysis of existing data.

Question 11

In their study of unpredictability of work schedules and time, Clawson and Gerstel examined four occupational groups. Which of the following was not one of those groups?

A) Doctors
B) Physician assistants (PAs)
C) Emergency medical technicians (EMTs)
D) Nurses

Question 12

The comparison of experimental audit and survey results in the Pager and Quillian study and the convergence of findings in the three-city study of abuse among low-income women are examples of which purpose of using mixed methods?

A) Triangulation
B) Complementarity
C) Development
D) Expansion

Question 13

In field observations of elementary school children, Calarco noticed that middle-class children were more likely than working-class children to seek help from their teacher. She then performed a systematic, quantitative analysis of help-seeking and social class. Which purpose was served by combining unstructured field observation with structured and systematic quantitative analysis?

A) Triangulation
B) Complementarity
C) Development
D) Expansion

Question 14

Using qualitative observation and interviews to pretest experiments and survey questions serves which purpose of using mixed methods research?

A) Triangulation
B) Complementarity
C) Development
D) Expansion

Question 15

Using different approaches to examine different but related phenomena is an example of which purpose of using mixed methods research?

A) Triangulation
B) Complementarity
C) Development
D) Expansion

Question 16

Pager and Quillian used a _______ design in conducting an audit study and survey of the same employers; Pager, Western, and Bonikowski used a _______ design in combining field observations with their audit study.

A) concurrent; component
B) sequential; component
C) sequential; concurrent
D) integrated; sequential

Question 17

Which type of design is implicit in mixed methods research that is conducted for the purpose of development?

A) Sequential
B) Concurrent
C) Component
D) Integrated

Question 18

Which mixed methods study is the best example of an integrated design involving nesting?

A) Cherlin and associates' study of abuse among low-income women
B) Pager and Quillian's audit study and survey of the same employers
C) Pager, Western, and Bonikowski's use of field observation in an audit study
D) Calarco's study of help seeking among elementary school children

Question 19

Suppose you decide to conduct a campus survey and then do follow-up qualitative interviews with a small sub-sample of survey participants. This is an example of a(n) _______ design.

A) concurrent
B) component
C) developmental
D) nested

Question 20

Results of a national health survey showed a higher rate of nonresponse for nonwhites than whites. To explore barriers to participation, investigators conducted focus groups interviews with nonwhites. This is an example of a _______ mixed methods design that serves the purpose of _______.

A) sequential; triangulation
B) sequential; complementarity
C) component; expansion
D) integrated; development

Question 21

According to Box 11.1, to overcome the greater burden on researchers who choose to do mixed methods research, the text recommends

A) using smaller samples of respondents.
B) doing less pretesting.
C) using a team approach with more than one researcher.
D) limiting the research design to two different approaches.

Question 22

The key to triangulation is to use dissimilar methods or measures to address a research question.

Question 23

The basic research approaches are equally strong or flexible with respect to the topics or research questions that they may address.

Question 24

Experiments are the most flexible approach with regard to the topics or research questions that may be addressed.

Question 25

In the study of abuse, women observed in abated unions in the field research would have been classified as "single" in the survey.

Question 26

In the Pager and Quillian study of employment discrimination, what employers said they would do in a survey was similar to what they actually did in a field experiment.

Question 27

Testers' field notes in Pager and associates' study revealed the processes through which employment discrimination took place.

Question 28

In the study of work schedules and hours, Clawson and Gerstel studied two groups of men and two groups of women, each divided by class.

Question 29

Pretesting of survey instruments is a form of mixed methods research that serves the purpose of triangulation.

Question 30

Mixed methods research for the purpose of triangulation attempts to cross-validate study results.

Question 31

Concurrent designs are implicit in mixed methods research that is conducted for the explicit purpose of development.

Question 32

An example of nesting is conducting in-depth interviews with a sample of respondents who participate in a survey.

Question 33

Gerstel and Clawson's study of unequal time is an example of an integrated mixed methods design.

Question 34

Mixed methods research designs may be integrated to varying degrees.

Question 35

Explain how the concept of triangulation is applied in measurement with respect to (a) operational definitions, (b) reliability assessment, and (c) validity assessment.

Question 36

Some research indicates that people tend to associate status and height. As a consequence, we tend to perceive persons with prestigious positions or titles as taller than they actually are. Briefly describe how you could test this hypothesis with three different approaches: an experiment, a survey, and the analysis of existing data. Then, compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of using each approach.

Question 37

Create a table that cross-classifies the purposes and designs of mixed methods research. Let purposes be the row variable and designs be the column variable. Put a checkmark in those cells of the table in which it is possible to use a specific design to fulfill a specific research purpose. Ask yourself, for example, "Is it possible for a sequential design to serve the purpose of triangulation?" As a guide, think about multiple methods studies cited in the chapter.

Question 38

What ethical issues may arise from mixed methods research in which the same participants are involved in more than one method of data collection? Briefly explain.