Deck 2: Sociological Investigation

Question 1

Empirical evidence refers to what we can verify with our senses.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A positivist approach assumes that an objective reality exists "out there."

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Natural scientists often have an easier time than social scientists when identifying cause-and-effect relationships.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A variable that is changed by another variable is called the "independent variable."

Question 5

Science is a logical system that is based on intuition and insight.

Question 6

Max Weber urged sociologists to strive toward the goal of being value-free.

Question 7

Reliability refers to the quality of consistency in measurement.

Question 8

The logic and methodology of science guarantee that sociological research will result in objective, absolute truth.

Question 9

Interpretive sociology focuses less on action itself and more on the meaning people attach to their actions.

Question 10

A false correlation between two variables caused by a third variable is described as a "spurious" correlation.

Question 11

Validity refers to actually measuring what you want to measure.

Question 12

A variable that causes change in another variable is called the "dependent variable."

Question 13

The mean is always a better statistical measure than the mode or the median.

Question 14

Replication is one way to assess the accuracy of existing research.

Question 15

Scientific sociologists make use of what Max Weber called "verstehen" in order to make sense of their surroundings.

Question 16

Sociologists always achieve complete personal objectivity in their work.

Question 17

The sociologist recognizes that there are various kinds of "truth."

Question 18

Two simple requirements that underlie the process of sociological investigation are

Question 19

When two variables are statistically related, a cause-and-effect relationship exists.

Question 20

Empirical evidence is what people in a society agree is true.

Question 21

A survey is a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions.

Question 22

Baltzell found that a surprisingly large number of high-achieving people in our country's history came from the Boston area.

Question 23

Interpretive sociology considers subjective feelings to be a source of bias.

Question 24

Karl Marx founded the critical orientation in sociology.

Question 25

"Statistical evidence" may or may not be the same as truth.

Question 26

Conducting interviews with 100 college students in a course would take no more time than having them all complete a questionnaire when they come to class.

Question 27

Sociological research can never be harmful to subjects.

Question 28

A random sample is likely to represent the population from which it is drawn.

Question 29

Critical sociology studies society and tries to bring about social change.

Question 30

A closed-ended questionnaire format generally makes it easier to analyze research data compared to an open-ended questionnaire format.

Question 31

The very act of observing people may affect their behavior.

Question 32

The use of existing data and documents makes most historical research possible.

Question 33

Lois Benjamin's research on the life experiences of high-achieving African Americans suggests that

A)race has little to do with the life experiences of successful people.
B)racism remains a burden even among privileged African Americans.
C)race is now more of a barrier to African Americans than ever before in U.S.history.
D)racism mainly affects lower-class African Americans.

Question 34

To identify cause-and-effect relationships, it is usually necessary to exercise experimental control of variables.

Question 35

Inductive logical thought turns theory into testable hypotheses.

Question 36

Carrying out research on Hispanic people, Asian people, or people of any distinctive ethnicity or category demands that researchers be sensitive to how subjects will interpret their words and actions.

Question 37

Just walking up to people on the street is a convenient and correct way to generate a random sample.

Question 38

Participant observation research is usually explanatory, which means that it identifies cause and effect relationships.

Question 39

Gender blindness is the problem of failing to consider the importance of gender in sociological research.

Question 40

Participant observation is a research method by which researchers stand back from a setting, watch from a distance, and then carefully record the behavior of others.

Question 41

The sociological perspective reveals that

A)"common sense" is usually pretty close to the truth.
B)much of what passes for "common sense" in the United States turns out to be at least partly wrong.
C)most people in the United States readily see how society shapes our lives.
D)"common sense" is not very popular in the United States.

Question 42

What term refers to the value that occurs midway in a series of numbers

A)the mean
B)the mode
C)the median
D)the correlation

Question 43

Examine the following series of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10.What is the median value?

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)4

Question 44

Two variables are said to display correlation if

A)they are caused by the same factor.
B)one occurs before the other.
C)both measure the same thing.
D)they vary together.

Question 45

Which of the concepts listed below refers to measuring exactly what one intends to measure?

A)congruence
B)validity
C)repeatability
D)reliability

Question 46

Science can be defined as a

A)logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation.
B)belief based on faith in ultimate truth.
C)belief based on a society's traditions.
D)logical system that bases truth on political goals.

Question 47

An apparent, although false, association between two variables that is caused by a third variable is called

A)a spurious correlation.
B)an unproven correlation.
C)an unreliable correlation.
D)an invalid correlation.

Question 48

If you were trying to measure the "social class" of various people, you would have to keep in mind that

A)it is necessary to specify exactly what you are measuring.
B)you must measure "social class" in every way possible.
C)there is no way to measure "social class."
D)everyone agrees on what "social class" means.

Question 49

What is the term for the value that occurs most often in a series of numbers?

A)the mean
B)the mode
C)the median
D)the standard deviation

Question 50

What process involves deciding exactly what is to be measured when assigning value to a variable?

A)operationalizating
B)reliability
C)conceptualizing
D)validity

Question 51

In the process of measurement, reliability refers to

A)whether you are really measuring what you want to measure.
B)how dependable the researcher is.
C)whether or not everyone agrees with the study's results.
D)whether repeating the measurement yields consistent results.

Question 52

Sociologists use the term "empirical evidence" to refer to

A)information that is based on a society's traditions.
B)information that squares with common sense.
C)information we can verify with our senses.
D)information that most people agree is true.

Question 53

A theory states that increasing a person's formal higher education results in increased earnings over the individual's lifetime.In this theory, "higher education" is the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)correlation.
D)effect.

Question 54

The ability to neutralize the effect of one variable in order to assess the relationship between two other variables is called

A)making the correlation spurious.
B)making the correlation reliable.
C)control.
D)causing the correlation.

Question 55

What term refers to the arithmetic average of a series of numbers?

A)the mean
B)the mode
C)the median
D)the correlation

Question 56

Imagine that you were going to measure the age of a number of respondents taking part in a survey.As you record the data, you are using the concept "age" as

A)a theory.
B)a hypothesis.
C)a variable.
D)an axiom.

Question 57

Three of the following statements below are part of the definition of a cause-and-effect relationship.Which statement is NOT a part of the definition?

A)Both variables must be shown to be independent.
B)The independent variable must come before the dependent variable in time.
C)The two variables must display correlation.
D)There must be no evidence that the correlation is spurious.

Question 58

With regard to the process of measurement, which of the following statements is true?

A)For measurement to be reliable, it must be valid.
B)For measurement to be valid, it must be reliable.
C)All measurement is both reliable and valid.
D)Measurement cannot be both reliable and valid.

Question 59

Which of the following terms is defined in the text as "a mental construct that represents some aspect of the world in a somewhat simplified form"?

A)variable
B)operationalization
C)measurement
D)concept

Question 60

Which of the following is true about cause-and-effect relationships in the social world?

A)Most patterns of behavior have a single cause.
B)Most patterns of behavior are random and have no cause at all.
C)Most patterns of behavior are caused by many factors.
D)Sociologists are not able to reach conclusions about cause and effect.

Question 61

In making judgments about how society should be improved, the ________ approach in sociology rejects Max Weber's goal that researchers should be value-free.

A)interpretive
B)critical
C)scientific
D)positivist

Question 62

Qualitative research has special appeal to investigators who favor which theoretical approach?

A)the structural-functional approach
B)the symbolic-interaction approach
C)the social-conflict approach
D)the social-exchange approach

Question 63

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be "value-free" in the conduct of their research was

A)Karl Marx.
B)Emile Durkheim.
C)Herbert Spencer.
D)Max Weber.

Question 64

Critical sociology can best be described as a

A)activist
B)scientific
C)qualitative
D)value-free

Question 65

All of the following statements-except for one-are guidelines for ethical research endorsed by the American Sociological Association.Which one is NOT one of the ASA's guidelines for ethical research?

A)Researchers must always perform their research several times in order to ensure its accuracy.
B)Researchers must disclose their sources of funding for the research.
C)Researchers must protect the privacy of subjects taking part in a research project.
D)Researchers must ensure the safety of subjects taking part in a research project.

Question 66

Sociologists cannot precisely predict any person's behavior because

A)human behavior is highly complex and has many causes.
B)social patterns that are found in one time and place may not be found in others.
C)humans may respond to the presence of an observer in unexpected ways.
D)All of these are correct.

Question 67

Read the following four statements describing the link between sociology's methodological approaches and its theoretical approaches.Which of the statements is correct?

A)Scientific methodology is most closely linked to structural-functional theory.
B)Interpretive methodology is linked to social-conflict theory.
C)Critical methodology corresponds to the symbolic-interaction theory.
D)There is no link between any of the theoretical and methodological approaches.

Question 68

Interpretive sociology is sociology that

A)focuses on action.
B)sees an objective reality "out there."
C)focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.
D)seeks to bring about change.

Question 69

If you have been criticized for "androcentricity" in your research, you are being criticized for

A)overgeneralizing your results.
B)ignoring gender entirely.
C)doing the research from a male perspective.
D)using double standards in your research.

Question 70

What term refers to any change in a subject's behavior that is caused by the awareness of being studied?

A)invalid response
B)unreliable response
C)the Stanford effect
D)the Hawthorne effect

Question 71

The ideal of objectivity means that a researcher must

A)not personally care about the topic being studied.
B)try to adopt a stance of personal neutrality toward the outcome of the research.
C)study issues that have no value to society as a whole.
D)carry out research that will encourage desirable social change.

Question 72

"A statement of a possible relationship between two or more variables" is the definition of which concept?

A)theory
B)correlation
C)spurious correlation
D)hypothesis

Question 73

Which German word meaning "understanding" was used by Max Weber to describe his approach to sociological research?

A)Gemeinschaft
B)Gesellschaft
C)Verstehen
D)Verboten

Question 74

If you read a study that draws conclusions about all of humanity based on research using only males as subjects, you would correctly point to the problem called

A)androcentricity.
B)overgeneralization.
C)gender blindness.
D)using double standards.

Question 75

You are doing research and you never stop to think about the possible importance of gender.Your work could be criticized for the problem called

A)androcentricity.
B)overgeneralization.
C)gender blindness.
D)employing double standards.

Question 76

Which of the following is true about scientific sociology?

A)It focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.
B)It seeks to bring about desirable social change.
C)It favors qualitative data.
D)It favors quantitative data.

Question 77

If you were to conduct sociological research that closely follows the logic of science, which research method would you most likely use?

A)interviews
B)the experiment
C)questionnaires
D)participant observation

Question 78

Which of the following statements about critical sociology is true?

A)Critical sociology focuses on the meaning people attach to behavior.
B)Critical sociology seeks to bring about desirable social change.
C)Critical sociology endorses the principle of being value-free.
D)Critical sociology is based on Weber's principle of verstehen.

Question 79

Three researchers wish to test the effects of playing soft music during an exam on the test performance of their sociology students.They conduct an experiment in which one test-taking class hears music and another does not.In experimental terms, the class hearing the music is called

A)the placebo.
B)the control group.
C)the experimental group.
D)the dependent variable.

Question 80

Imagine that you are repeating research done by someone else in order to assess the accuracy.You are doing which of the following?

A)replication
B)objectification
C)reliability
D)scientific control