Question 1

What is the qualitative approach to research? What are its evaluation criteria?

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is based on observations, open-ended interviews, or analyses of textual material to interpret the meanings of what people say, do, or think. This approach is particularly useful for examining individuals and the context and meaning of social interactions. It is achieved through an analysis of letters, diaries, interviews, or reports, or observing what is said or done from the individual's perspective. In qualitative research, interpretation and analysis are continual and subject to reinterpretation as new evidence is uncovered.

Question 2

How might a postmodern feminist deconstruct the word "caregiving"?

Accepted Answer

A postmodern feminist who deconstructs the term "caregiving" might find that the activity involves intimacy and connection (care) and that the care is offered freely (is given rather than demanded or paid) to meet the needs of another person. The term might also be read to exclude the notion of care as hard work performed for remuneration (by a home nurse) or the idea that care begins because of a sense of duty or responsibility (by a daughter).

Question 3

Researchers who study the aging process should only use quantitative research methods.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

Non-random sampling can introduce significant bias and non-representativeness into a research study.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Action research attempts to improve the situation of disadvantaged people and communities.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Survey research uses random or purposive samples, employs face-to-face or telephone interviews or questionnaires that are mailed, accessed through the Internet, or delivered to a respondent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

How are theories and research linked?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How are theories and research linked?...

Question 8

A weakness of which method is that it may not work with people who are very reserved, not very articulate, not highly educated, or not very fluent in English, or who have lost some of their memory?

Accepted Answer

A)   Participant observation
B)   Narrative gerontology
C)   Literary analysis
D)   Survey research

Question 9

Which of the following refers to a situation in which women seeking career advancement find that economic institutions block their opportunities?

Accepted Answer

A)   Cohort-centrism
B)   The feminist perspective
C)   Structural lag
D)   Institutional inequity

Question 10

Narrative research sometimes includes collecting biographical information and stories.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Which of the following is characteristic of qualitative research designs?

Accepted Answer

A)   Key informants are added until no new information can be gleaned.
B)   Data are analyzed after being collected.
C)   They utilize large random samples.
D)   The sample size is predetermined.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

A)   The disengagement theory argues that change and adaptation in the later years of life are necessary, both for the individual and for society.
B)   The activity theory argues that individual adaptation in later life involves continuing an active life.
C)   The continuity theory argues that as people age, they strive to maintain continuity in their lifestyles.
D)   The social exchange theory argues that people enjoy interacting with one another and exchanging ideas about certain phenomena.

Question 13

Which theory contends that privilege and disadvantage needs to be examined at the intersections of major systems of inequality embedded in society along age, gender, sexuality, social class, race, and ethnicity lines?

Accepted Answer

A)   Structural functionalism
B)   Symbolic interactionism
C)   Intersectionality theory
D)   Critical gerontology

Question 14

According to Locher et al., which of the following ethical issues may arise when conducting research with homebound older persons?

Accepted Answer

A)   The researcher may experience interpersonal conflict.
B)   The caregivers of older people may not want their patients or loved ones involved in the research.
C)   Researchers may not understand what it is like to be an older person.
D)   Older people may mistakenly believe that they are to receive some form of treatment or cure for an ailment.

Question 15

Which of the following theories supports the hypothesis that well-adjusted older adults have high-quality interactions with significant others, and therefore enjoy more positive self-images?

Accepted Answer

A)   Continuity theory
B)   Activity theory
C)   Social exchange theory
D)   Labelling theory

Question 16

One advantage of qualitative approaches is that they produce reliable and reproducible results.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

What is meant by informed consent in research?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is meant by informed consent in...

Question 18

Quantitative research employs small, non-random samples in which key informants are added until no new information can be gleaned.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

What is the quantitative approach to research? What are its evaluation criteria?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the quantitative approach to research?...

Question 20

How does theory contribute to knowledge as a product of scholarly activity? List five ways in which this contribution occurs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does theory contribute to knowledge as...

Exam 5: Theories and Research in Explaining and Understanding Aging Phenomena

What is the qualitative approach to research? What are its evaluation criteria?

How might a postmodern feminist deconstruct the word "caregiving"?

Researchers who study the aging process should only use quantitative research methods.

Non-random sampling can introduce significant bias and non-representativeness into a research study.

Action research attempts to improve the situation of disadvantaged people and communities.

Survey research uses random or purposive samples, employs face-to-face or telephone interviews or questionnaires that are mailed, accessed through the Internet, or delivered to a respondent.

How are theories and research linked?

A weakness of which method is that it may not work with people who are very reserved, not very articulate, not highly educated, or not very fluent in English, or who have lost some of their memory?

Which of the following refers to a situation in which women seeking career advancement find that economic institutions block their opportunities?

Narrative research sometimes includes collecting biographical information and stories.

Which of the following is characteristic of qualitative research designs?

Which of the following statements is false?

Which theory contends that privilege and disadvantage needs to be examined at the intersections of major systems of inequality embedded in society along age, gender, sexuality, social class, race, and ethnicity lines?

According to Locher et al., which of the following ethical issues may arise when conducting research with homebound older persons?

Which of the following theories supports the hypothesis that well-adjusted older adults have high-quality interactions with significant others, and therefore enjoy more positive self-images?

One advantage of qualitative approaches is that they produce reliable and reproducible results.

What is meant by informed consent in research?

Quantitative research employs small, non-random samples in which key informants are added until no new information can be gleaned.

What is the quantitative approach to research? What are its evaluation criteria?

How does theory contribute to knowledge as a product of scholarly activity? List five ways in which this contribution occurs.