Deck 20: Research Methods

Question 1

Janice walks out on her boyfriend after a six-year relationship. What topic must be studied in order to understand her motivation for this action?

A) the events the day before
B) Janice's future plans
C) the history of the relationship
D) the relationships in which Janice interacts

Answer 1

D

Question 2

As a sociologist, I decide to study the social phenomenon of suicide; I am not value-free in choosing this topic, as I had a cousin who took his own life. Which of the following will I have to be mindful of when conducting my research?

A) randomization
B) confounding
C) validity
D) objectivity

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following terms would be used to describe research that concludes there is a link between phases of the moon and crime rates?

A) It is causal evidence.
B) It is merely descriptive.
C) It is a spurious result.
D) It is a full explanation.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

After observing little girls at play, a researcher concluded that those girls wearing dresses acted in a more feminine manner. However, in reality, some of the girls wearing pants acted similarly. What may have influenced the researcher's erroneous finding?

A) participant observation
B) the objective definition of femininity
C) sociological practices
D) observer bias

Question 5

Theresa has studied the social life of chimpanzees for 10 years. She claims that chimpanzees are antisocial with other mammals, based on her observations in the wild. However, another researcher argues that this statement cannot be made, based on which of the following arguments?

A) the presumption of similarity
B) the socialization factor
C) the problem of induction
D) the problem with observation in an uncontrolled environment

Question 6

David was 12 years old when he watched the continuous media coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Since that time he has gone out of his way to not associate with people that are of Middle Eastern descent, asserting that "they can't be trusted." What type of reasoning has David utilized in drawing this conclusion?

A) theoretical reasoning
B) observational reasoning
C) deductive reasoning
D) inductive reasoning

Question 7

Over time, scientists made systematic observations of the heavens and concluded the earth was not at the centre of the solar system. Eventually, even the Catholic Church could no longer support the belief that the Earth was at the centre of everything. Which term best describes this process?

A) paradigm shift
B) bias resistance
C) meaning creation
D) Newtonian physics

Question 8

Fatima meets with an immigrant woman without legal status to discuss a potential research project. The immigrant talks about her daily life and how she works without being identified by the authorities. However, Fatima is frustrated to hear how the immigrant was able to come to this country without going through the legal procedures that Fatima's parents had to go through. According to the text, why should Fatima NOT study this immigrant?

A) The immigrant may be identified and deported.
B) Fatima lacks objectivity.
C) The immigrant may disclose information harmful to other immigrants.
D) Fatima may reveal insights into her life.

Question 9

Which of the following is the most important difference between social science and natural science?

A) Social science tends to use controlled experiments, and natural science does not.
B) Social science studies meaningful action, and natural science does not.
C) Social science is subjective, and natural science is objective.
D) Social science uses soft data, and natural science uses hard data.

Question 10

According to the text, what is science?

A) a producer of irrefutable facts
B) inquiry driven by one's bias
C) an enemy of superstition
D) a method of collecting facts

Question 11

Robert had just purchased a Volkswagen Beetle, and when he went to the insurance company was told he would have to pay higher premiums because it was red in colour. When asked to explain, the insurance agent said the company had accident history data that demonstrated red cars were involved in three times as many accidents. Robert analyzed the data and found that the red cars were predominantly high-speed sports cars. When he pointed this out, the insurance company readdressed its pricing policy. What did Robert discover?

A) a causal relationship
B) a spurious relationship
C) an a priori relationship
D) a nonspurious relationship

Question 12

Which of the following assertions would best explain the concept of falsification in science?

A) Scientists have to be able to prove their claims.
B) Unobservable ideas are useless for science.
C) Scientific claims must be testable and refutable.
D) Scientific theories are proven beyond falsification.

Question 13

Raoul had returned home after a semester at university and was excitedly talking about the experiential learning component in one class, and the small group discussions and projects of another. His grandfather interjected, "Back in my day, the professor lectured, and we took notes and then studied like crazy to memorize the right answers for the tests." Which of the following concepts explains the difference between Raoul's and his grandfather's experience?

A) divergent thinking
B) paradigm shift
C) mutation of educational practice
D) lowering educational standards

Question 14

There is an old saying that sailors recite: "Red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in the morning, sailors' warning." However, meteorological observations lead to the conclusion that there is no correlation between the appearance of the sky, in either the evening or the morning, and either rough or calm seas. In this case, as Karl Popper has suggested, what can one conclude about observations versus theories?

A) Observations are irrelevant, as theories are already considered proven.
B) Observations provide good evidence of a bad theory.
C) Observations are less important than evidence supporting a theory.
D) Observations are more important than evidence supporting a theory.

Question 15

Which basic methodological research consideration might a black sociologist studying prejudice and discrimination have to be particularly careful to keep in mind, as a researcher and a member of an ethnic minority?

A) temptation to engage in fraud
B) the processes that produce knowledge
C) the required objectivity
D) the method of collecting data

Question 16

Tessa (a chemistry major) and Samantha (a sociology major) are roommates and one evening when studying for their midterms, Tessa asserted that sociologists don't "do" science. Samantha disagreed, saying that sociologists do science, but with one major difference. What is the primary difference that Samantha would cite?

A) Sociologists do not follow a prescribed method for researching.
B) Sociologists have to consider the meaningful action that underlies data collection
C) Chemistry is based on subjectivity and sociology is based on objectivity.
D) Chemistry is based on absolute truth and sociology is based on contextual truth.

Question 17

When scientists can conclusively declare that solar flares and the resulting radiation knocks out satellite transmissions, then what can ultimately be said about these two events?

A) They are correlated.
B) They are both related.
C) They are both associated.
D) They are causally connected.

Question 18

Jason had slept in, and after a hurried shower was rushing out the door to school when his mother stopped him and told him to wear a hat to cover his wet hair. Jason asked why and his mother replied, "It's cold outside and if you don't, you'll catch a cold." What was Jason's mother implying?

A) a fixed variation between having a shower and needing to wear a hat
B) a spurious relationship between sleeping in and developing a cold
C) a causal relationship between wet hair in the cold and being sick with a cold
D) a negative correlation between wearing a hat and having wet hair

Question 19

A natural scientist can study fossil remains of long-dead animals, or examine the botanical composition of plants. How is social science significantly different from natural science?

A) Social research has added complexity because people interpret their own behaviour.
B) The scientific method means that natural science is not falsifiable.
C) The scientific method of systematic observation does not apply equally to both fields.
D) Social science is a completely subjective science.

Question 20

Which of the following is a necessary criterion for a scientific hypothesis?

A) It must meet the test of significance.
B) It must be based on knowledge.
C) It must be falsifiable.
D) It must meet the test of induction.

Question 21

After reading the newspaper article reporting the standardized testing scores of various schools throughout the city, Sam asserted that the teachers in school A should all be fired because of the low results. Darlene asked Sam if he ever considered that school A was located in the poorest section of the city with one of the highest proportions of English as Second Language students. What was Darlene arguing?

A) explanatory pluralism
B) multiple causation
C) randomization of causality
D) incomprehensible causation

Question 22

In studying how ethnicity influences social interaction, Foschi and Buchan were careful to assign their subjects to each of the experimental conditions. Which process did they use?

A) experimenter experience
B) subject interviews
C) random-digit-dialling
D) random assignment

Question 23

A social scientist conducts research on expectations and performance. He sets up two scenarios: one where a group does a task without any intervention and a second one where a different group is given the same task, but told to expect that the task will be difficult. The results are then measured. What kind of research has been conducted?

A) survey research
B) experimental research
C) observation studies
D) field research

Question 24

What does the term external validity mean in relation to experimental research?

A) verification of results by outside parties
B) consistency of measurement
C) generalizing results to a larger population
D) accuracy of measurement

Question 25

In a study of the health of 16-year-old runaways in Toronto, the researcher examined housing, employment, and education. In this research, which of the following is an independent variable?

A) age
B) housing
C) employment
D) health

Question 26

Students who work at part-time jobs get lower grades than those who do not work. In methodological terms, what kind of variable are students' grades?

A) mediating variable
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) confounding variable

Question 27

Erving Goffman's work on the insane asylum revealed insights about mental patients. Which method of understanding was that work based on?

A) the definition of the situation
B) taking the role of the other
C) how to proceed with the activity
D) what is defined as real is real in its consequences

Question 28

Heidi observed children playing in a controlled setting, limiting toys and adult interaction. When the findings were compared with children studied playing in their homes, many findings were the same. This showed the first experiment had what feature?

A) control
B) similar independent variables
C) external validity
D) social interaction

Question 29

What is external validity?

A) It is the accuracy of external measures.
B) It is validity established outside the experimental design.
C) It is the generalizability of research findings.
D) It is research assessments made by peer reviewers.

Question 30

We must be cautious in generalizing the results of laboratory experiments to nonlaboratory situations. What concept below is used in explaining the extent to which experimental findings remain valid in nonlaboratory situations?

A) external validity
B) face validity
C) internal validity
D) empirical validity

Question 31

In what kind of study do researchers attempt to closely control the research environment?

A) the field experiment
B) participant observation
C) survey research
D) experimental research

Question 32

A researcher conducts a very carefully designed experiment on the relationship between time spent viewing violent video games and the incidence of violent behaviour. The researcher then generalizes these results to the broader gaming community. If the research accurately reflects behaviours in the broader gaming community, then what can be said about this experiment?

A) It has spurious results.
B) It has external validity.
C) It has sampling.
D) It has internal validity.

Question 33

What kind of research should a social scientist use to clearly establish the causal relationship between two variables?

A) experimental research
B) direct observation
C) correlational research
D) ethnographic research

Question 34

The professor was curious if a 5 percent bonus mark would influence students to submit their term essays on time. Half the students were offered the bonus mark for on-time submission, the other half were not offered any bonus marks. What kind of variable is the bonus mark incentive?

A) independent
B) randomized
C) dependent
D) control

Question 35

Elisa has 1000 participants over the age of 21 for a research project on urban lifestyles, providing people in one group with a car, and another group with public transit passes. What procedure is best for selecting who will be in the group given a car?

A) select by age
B) select by residential area
C) select by education level
D) flip a coin

Question 36

What is required for a full appreciation of a social activity?

A) objectivity and subjectivity
B) understanding and correlation
C) value neutrality and bias
D) explanation and understanding

Question 37

What is the best scientific methodology for a scientist to use to isolate a cause?

A) an experiment
B) a survey
C) field research
D) observation studies

Question 38

A researcher was interested in the influence of music on job motivation. One group was assigned to hear music while working and the other group would not hear music while working. To determine which test subject would go into which group, she flipped a coin. What term is given to this process of assignment?

A) establishing a control group
B) randomization
C) random sampling
D) establishing controls

Question 39

For a scientific explanation to be judged adequate, what must it incorporate?

A) statistical significance
B) causal mechanisms
C) representative samples
D) nonrecursive sequencing

Question 40

If a person's sex is said to affect his or her income, then what kind of variable is sex?

A) independent variable
B) control variable
C) dependent variable
D) effective variable

Question 41

Research in online chat rooms is challenging. Even if researchers announce that they have logged in, someone logging in later might not be aware of their presence. This is an important research issue. What does it pertain to?

A) technology
B) ethics
C) research intent
D) research outcomes

Question 42

What is random-digit-sampling?

A) choosing subjects selectively from a sampling frame
B) dividing a population into equal and representative samples
C) procedures for producing experimental conditions
D) telephone procedures for establishing random samples

Question 43

To randomly select members of a household, what do survey researchers often ask?

A) Who is the oldest?
B) Who was the most recent person to arrive home?
C) What is your favourite number?
D) Who had the most recent birthday?

Question 44

When a researcher talks about the validity of things being measured, what does that mean?

A) The measurements have been used successfully in other studies.
B) The research instrument measures what it is supposed to.
C) Re-using the measurements repeatedly produces the same results.
D) Other variables in the research are affecting the measured results.

Question 45

Pavel explained his research to a potential participant. He told her that he wanted to study the influence of a specific government policy on household finances, in order to understand purchasing decisions in the family. Pavel was required to give this much detail in order to obtain which of the following?

A) financial records
B) government approval
C) informed consent
D) data

Question 46

Having studied Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience to authority, which were conducted in the early 1960s, Thomas wanted to see if people were still as willing to obey authority. Using the same methodology, Thomas conducted his experiments and found that the average obedience rates were remarkably similar. What can be said about Milgram's original experimental results?

A) They show causation.
B) They have confidence.
C) They have verifiability.
D) They have reliability.

Question 47

Jodi and Paula were discussing their research proposals and Jodi asked Paula what form of data collection activity she was going to undertake. Paula answered, "The primary one of social science research." Which of the following is Paula going to use in her research project?

A) a social survey
B) a field study
C) an ethnographic study
D) an experiment

Question 48

When are measurements in research considered reliable?

A) when they are correlated
B) when they are consistent or repeatable
C) when they measure what they were supposed to measure
D) when they are accurate and relevant

Question 49

Which of the following refers to obtaining consistent results with the same measure?

A) multiple causation
B) reliability
C) experimenter presence
D) validity

Question 50

Who bears the primary ethical responsibility in university-based academic research?

A) funding agencies
B) ethics boards
C) researchers
D) subjects

Question 51

As an honours sociology student, you spend considerable time preparing a survey questionnaire on the use of Internet porn sites. What is your biggest concern about conducting survey research?

A) Surveys are expensive and time consuming.
B) You want accuracy and truthfulness in the responses.
C) The results are only as good as the questions.
D) You fear having difficulty getting people to participate.

Question 52

What kind of research is Statistics Canada's national census?

A) ethnographic research
B) an experiment
C) survey research
D) a field study

Question 53

When does the Hawthorne effect occur?

A) It occurs when subjects try to conceal their reactions to the experimental conditions.
B) It occurs when subjects of an experiment are not aware they are being studied.
C) It occurs when subjects do not react to the experimental conditions they experience.
D) It occurs when people's behaviours are due to their awareness of being studied.

Question 54

You conduct a survey with a large introductory class of sociology students, but you want to sample only 30 percent of them. When passing out the survey, you need to make sure that each person in the class has an equal chance of being selected to complete it. What kind of sample have you selected?

A) multivariate sample
B) cross-sectional sample
C) random sample
D) multistage sample

Question 55

Carly believes that, contrary to the stereotype of silent men and chatty women, men chat as often-if not more-as women do when they're eating. For four months, Carly eats her lunch in the university cafeteria, recording the talking time of males and females in couples and in groups during their food breaks. What type of study is Carly conducting?

A) observational study
B) participant observation study
C) objective analytical study
D) group experimental study

Question 56

An experimenter sets up a situation to observe people's behaviour when they are subjected to certain variables that she is testing. However, she begins to suspect that her presence alone is changing the behaviour of the subjects. What is this phenomenon called?

A) self-monitoring
B) Hawthorne effect
C) self-consciousness
D) experiment anxiety

Question 57

In survey research, what is a sampling frame?

A) It is a final list of individuals who will actually take part in the study.
B) It is a list from which the sample is selected.
C) It is a population to which the results will be generalized.
D) It is a list of individuals who will not take part in the study.

Question 58

Which of the following techniques is often employed by social scientists to eliminate the problem of external validity associated with experiments?

A) participant observation
B) personal interviews
C) the survey technique
D) the field experiment

Question 59

There are 500 000 farmers affected by a new federal policy. A subset of 1000 farmers will be used to examine the effect on all of the farmers. Within sociological research, which of the following labels is given to the 500 000 farmers?

A) the sampling frame
B) the social group
C) the professional community
D) the sociological sample

Question 60

Kamal told the researcher he believes children should exercise every day, using the example of playing in the park. However, during that week, Kamal took his child to the park only three times. This example shows the potential for discrepancy between which of the following?

A) exercise and play
B) attitudes and behaviours
C) ideas and opinions
D) private and public

Question 61

Which of the following methods did Scarce's ethnographic account of salmon, biology, and the social construction of nature rely on the most?

A) surveys
B) participant observation
C) interviews
D) experiments

Question 62

According to the text, which of the following is an example of a purpose for sociological investigation?

A) to manipulate social structures
B) to simply learn more
C) to better the human condition
D) to maximize profits

Question 63

A sociologist who owns a Harley-Davidson bike starts hanging out with a biker gang. In addition to the hanging out, he informally conducts interviews with the members, and supplements his research with official statistics and police reports. Then he publishes a book on his work that gives an in-depth insider's look at the structure and process of gang life, contrasted with the official information. His work both confirms some aspects of official data, and explodes some myths about biker gangs. What kind of research is this?

A) an experimental research project
B) a survey research project
C) an ethnographic research project
D) an academic writing project

Question 64

According to research outlined in the text, which of the following statements concerning the relationship between education, income, and gender is true?

A) Data suggest the effect of education on income for men and women is about the same.
B) Data support the contention that schooling is a spurious variable.
C) There may be a causal link between education and gender income differentials.
D) There is no causal link between education and gender income differentials.

Question 65

Tammy was extremely interested in exploring the connection between morality and the level of integration of people within a society. Whose writings should she be utilizing in her research paper?

A) Max Weber
B) Auguste Comte
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Karl Marx

Question 66

Which form of sociological research is exemplified in Max Weber's work linking capitalism and Protestantism?

A) documentary analysis
B) historical methods
C) ethnographic study
D) survey research

Question 67

How is regression analysis, showing the relationship between two variables, represented in a scatter plot?

A) as plotted points
B) on the x-axis
C) on the y-axis
D) as a straight line

Question 68

A survey of 1000 people was done, asking opinions about today's education system. In his report, the researcher talked about the percentage of respondents who felt strongly about each topic. What was the researcher trying to do by using the percentages?

A) not deal with 1000 different opinions
B) discuss flaws in the education system
C) highlight topics of relevance
D) standardize the data

Question 69

According to the text, what is an alternative to contingency tables in statistical analysis?

A) regression analysis
B) data manipulation
C) descriptive statistics breakdown
D) pie charts

Question 70

Which research method places the most emphasis on understanding the members of a group from their own point of view?

A) unobtrusive measurement
B) participant observation
C) survey research
D) the experiment

Question 71

What grounds listed below are often used in criticizing social research that uses official statistics as its main source of data?

A) the data collection
B) ethical integrity
C) its reliability
D) its validity

Question 72

A graduate sociology student proposes a thesis on pool hustlers. A major part of his methodology is to hang out in pool halls, and as a reasonably good pool player he will play games and allow himself to be hustled, and he will use his skill to set up hustles himself. What kind of research is he conducting?

A) participant observation
B) social observation
C) unethical observation
D) primary observation

Question 73

Paul was conducting research into the causal linkages between age, income, education level attained, and intimate partner abuse. What type of statistical analysis would Paul conduct?

A) linear regression
B) multiple regression
C) contingency tables
D) descriptive statistics breakdown

Question 74

When discussing her research project on family violence, Serena says that she will utilize official police statistics and data from Statistics Canada as her main source of data. Tom pointed out to her that she may have a problem with validity of her findings. Why would Tom say this?

A) Official statistics are less reliable for social research than for the natural sciences.
B) Official statistics are collected by bureaucrats who often find results that support their interests.
C) Official statistics do not meet the criteria of falsifiability.
D) Statistics are problematic since they are not objective factors on which everyone agrees.

Question 75

A researcher engages in a participant observation study of skateboarders. In order to verify his observations, he asks questions of his informants, checking his perceptions of the situation, and verifying his impressions and conclusions. What is the researcher doing?

A) member test validity
B) reliability testing
C) ensuring generalizability
D) random minimization

Question 76

Which form of sociological research uses the idea of a "member test of validity" is a way of reducing personal bias?

A) surveys
B) experiments
C) historical analysis
D) ethnographies

Question 77

Tony is doing research on alcoholism and the effects it has on individuals and their families. Which of the following would Tony not use in his ethnographic study?

A) reports on provincial alcohol sales
B) interviews with alcoholics
C) personal interviews with wives and husbands of alcoholics
D) attending AA meetings with alcoholics

Question 78

As part of a research project, Carmen attended the birthday party of a child. When the cake was served, Carmen was asked to teach everyone the "Happy Birthday Song" in English. After the cake, presents were opened, including the gift from Carmen. What part of this event was problematic for Carmen's research?

A) Carmen's presence influenced events at the party.
B) Teaching the English song distracted Carmen from other observations.
C) Carmen should not have attended the child's party.
D) Carmen should not have given a gift to a research participant's family member.

Question 79

Julio went shopping with Lei to see she what she bought on a weekly basis. However, the five bags of chips and two containers of ice cream contradicted Lei's claim that her family eats only healthy food. When asked about the food, she replied "a little treat now and then doesn't hurt anyone." This contradiction between the conversation and the shopping experience was identified through which methodology?

A) interview
B) measurements
C) participant observation
D) hypothesis

Question 80

Which sociological concept is associated with the "member test of validity," a method for reducing the problems in participant observation bias?

A) the Hawthorne effect
B) ethnocentrism
C) creating meaning
D) unobtrusive measures