Deck 5: What Is the Scientific Method

Question 1

Adler and Adler's work on self-injury reflects which of the three major sociological approaches?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)all three perspectives

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Sociological studies have indicated that people who are married are less likely to commit suicide than people who are divorced.In this example,marital status is a(n)

A)hypothesis.
B)independent variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)index.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Income,religion,race,gender,and marital status can all be examples of

A)indexes.
B)scales.
C)variables.
D)operational definitions.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The variable that is hypothesized to cause or influence another variable is referred to by social scientists as a(n)

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)spurious variable.
D)operational variable.

Question 5

If you were interested in studying the relationship between date and acquaintance rape victims and the characteristics of the rapist,your first step would be to

A)review the literature on date and acquaintance rape.
B)define the problem.
C)create a hypothesis.
D)choose a research design.

Question 6

Which sociological perspective would most likely suggest that education is necessary for people to earn more money and advance in society for the purpose of social stability?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 7

What is commonly the second step in the scientific method?

A)defining the problem
B)selecting the research design
C)reviewing the literature
D)collecting and analyzing data

Question 8

Sociological studies have indicated that people who are married are less likely to commit suicide than people who are divorced.In this example,suicide is a(n)

A)hypothesis.
B)independent variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)index.

Question 9

Sociologists conduct a "review of the literature" to

A)refine the problem under study.
B)clarify possible techniques to be used in collecting data.
C)eliminate or reduce the number of avoidable mistakes they make.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 10

What sociological perspective would most likely suggest that educational inequalities are purposeful and set up to reinforce the position of those in power?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)feminist perspective

Question 11

A sociologist who is interested in examining racism in sports might determine what percentage of team owners,general managers,coaches,and managers are members of each racial group.This would be an example of developing a(n)

A)research design.
B)operational definition.
C)hypothesis.
D)theory.

Question 12

After a sociologist reviews the literature,what is the next step in the process?

A)define the problem
B)generate ideas for future research
C)create a hypothesis
D)choose a research design

Question 13

A variable is

A)a measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions.
B)the extent to which a measure provides consistent results.
C)the unintended influence that observers or experiments can have on their subjects.
D)a speculative statement about the relationship between two traits.

Question 14

Which one of the following statements is true regarding the subjects of Adler and Adler's study of self-injurers?

A)Most begin injuring in secret.
B)They are a homogeneous group.
C)Their behavior is carefully planned.
D)Most eventually "grow out of it."

Question 15

Which of the following terms is used to describe a systematic,organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem?

A)scientific method
B)social science
C)experiment
D)value neutrality

Question 16

A researcher finds that those who have children at a young age are significantly more likely to have lower levels of education as a result of early childbearing.This would be an example of

A)a hypothesis.
B)a correlation.
C)causal logic.
D)an effect.

Question 17

An operational definition is

A)a speculative statement about the relationship between two variables.
B)the extent to which a measure provides consistent results.
C)an explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to measure the concept.
D)a relationship between two variables whereby a change in one coincides with a change in the other.

Question 18

The statement "Women who receive welfare are less likely than other women to have babies" is an example of

A)an operational definition.
B)a hypothesis.
C)a research design.
D)causal logic.

Question 19

A speculative statement about the relationship between two or more variables is known as a

A)correlation.
B)hypothesis.
C)sample.
D)research design.

Question 20

Researchers find that pet owners live longer,healthier lives.Within this study,pet ownership is the

A)independent variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)spurious variable.
D)operational variable.

Question 21

The statement "Eating fewer fats and carbohydrates will lead to weight loss" is an example of

A)causal logic.
B)a dependent variable.
C)an independent variable.
D)a cross tabulation.

Question 22

The race of a criminal offender is found to determine the frequency with which capital punishment is administered.In this example,the frequency of administered capital punishment would be considered the

A)hypothesis.
B)independent variable.
C)dependent variable.
D)index.

Question 23

The relationship between a condition or a variable and a particular consequence,with one event leading to the other,is known as

A)observation.
B)causal logic.
C)a correlation.
D)an index.

Question 24

A hypothesis is a speculative statement about the relationship between two variables.

Question 25

The relationship between two variables whereby a change in one coincides with a change in the other is known as a(n)

A)index.
B)correlation.
C)operational definition.
D)scale.

Question 26

If researchers wanted to examine the opinions of people listed in a city directory,they might call every tenth or fiftieth or hundredth name listed.This would constitute a

A)scale.
B)control variable.
C)quota sample.
D)random sample.

Question 27

Which of the following would be considered a valid measure of an individual's intelligence?

A)his or her age
B)the researcher's opinion
C)the number of years of school completed by the individual
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 28

"Data indicate that people who prefer to watch televised news programs are less knowledgeable than those who read newspapers and newsmagazines." This statement is an example of a(n)

A)causality.
B)correlation.
C)independent variable.
D)law.

Question 29

Define the term scientific method and the five basic steps used in the scientific method.

Question 30

In the statement,"The more a person exercises,the longer he or she will live," longevity is the independent variable.

Question 31

What type of sample is specifically used for gathering information about clandestine or difficult-to-identify groups?

A)snowball sample
B)random sample
C)valid sample
D)blind survey

Question 32

A factor held constant to test the relative impact of the independent variable is known as a

A)control variable.
B)dependent variable.
C)correlation.
D)cross-tabulation.

Question 33

Discuss how a researcher might select a random sample of subjects for a research study.Which sample selection methods should researchers use,and which methods should be avoided?

Question 34

In which type of sample does each member of the entire population being studied have the same chance of being selected?

A)random sample
B)quota sample
C)index sample
D)Roper sample

Question 35

Validity refers to

A)the provision of consistent results.
B)independent,rather than dependent,variables.
C)the accurate measurement of the phenomenon under study.
D)the ethical standards that are followed by sociologists.

Question 36

The third step in the scientific method is reviewing the literature.

Question 37

Correlations are an indication that causality is always present.

Question 38

Validity refers to the degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study.

Question 39

A research measure that provides consistent results is considered

A)valid.
B)reliable.
C)an index.
D)a scale.

Question 40

A magazine asks its readers to complete a survey that questions them about their sexual practices.Based on the responses that it receives,the magazine publishes an article entitled "The Sexual Practices of Men and Women in the U.S." This magazine has conducted a valid random sample to support its article.