Deck 17: Analyzing Existing Data: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

Question 1

Unobtrusive measures can reduce the problem of

A) ​the researcher's impact on the phenomenon being studied.
B) invalid operationalization of concepts.​
C) unreliable measurements.​
D) invalid measurement.​
E) ​none of the above.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT illustrative of unobtrusive observations?​

A) ​Examining the floor tiles at a museum to determine which exhibits are the most popular.
B) Examining the number of beer cans in the university garbage collections to determine beer consumption patterns.​
C) Examining the wear on the tires of squad cars to determine the extent of police patrols.​
D) Interviews.​

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An example of unobtrusive data collection is​

A) ​an interview with college freshmen to determine why they selected a particular school.
B) counting the proportion of published social work journal articles that report experimental outcome evaluations.​
C) a mailed survey designed to discern students' attitudes toward a planned change in the school's calendar.​
D) self-monitoring.​

Answer 3

B

Question 4

An advantage of secondary analysis is that even with huge data novice researchers can conduct the data analysis swiftly.​

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true about utilizing official records for data?​

A) ​The reliability of the data is guaranteed.
B) The validity of the data is guaranteed.​
C) The accuracy of the data is guaranteed.​
D) Neither the reliability, validity or accuracy of the data is guaranteed.​

Question 6

After examining the FBI Crime Reports for a 30-year period, Professor Hall claimed that the incidence of rape has increased. After examining the same reports, Professor Shine claimed that the reporting of rape, not the incidence of rape, has increased. This illustrates​

A) ​the problem of reliability in using existing statistics.
B) the problem of validity in using existing statistics.​
C) the need to replicate existing statistics.​
D) the ecological fallacy.​

Question 7

Unobtrusive measures reduce the impact of the data collection on the phenomena being studied.​

Question 8

"Big Data" is:​

A) ​Data exceeding 1,000 Terabytes
B) data sets being automatically compiled from online activity​
C) tracking of online activity​
D) the compilation of all social work research​

Question 9

When analyzing official government documents you should be concerned about the reliability of those documents.​

Question 10

Professor Perlman was interested in comparing two textbooks to determine whether one used more sexist language than the other. Perlman counted the number of times a gender reference appeared in each book. Perlman was doing​

A) ​latent content coding.
B) manifest content coding.​
C) quota sampling.​
D) qualitative research.​

Question 11

Whish of the following statements is true about coding in content analysis​

A) ​The coding scheme cannot be pretested.
B) Both inductive and deductive methods should be used in creating code categories.​
C) You must choose to code either manifest content or latent content; you cannot use both methods.​
D) Manifest content coding provides a better reflection of depth and underlying meaning than latent content coding.​

Question 12

Manifest coding has the advantage of tapping underlying meanings, while reliability is an advantage of latent coding.​

Question 13

Standard probability sampling techniques should NOT be used in content analysis.​

Question 14

Professor Jenner was interested in using Census Bureau data to examine the trend in unemployment rates in the United States. However, Jenner's definition of unemployment did not match the one used by the Census Bureau. Jenner was dealing with the issue of​

A) ​reliability.
B) validity.​
C) the ecological fallacy.​
D) ideal types.​

Question 15

Historical and comparative researchers can use both qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques.​

Question 16

In comparison to coding the manifest content of communication, coding the latent content​

A) ​has a disadvantage in terms of validity.
B) has an advantage in terms of reliability.​
C) is better designed for tapping the underlying meaning of communications.​
D) has an advantage in terms of specificity.​

Question 17

Professor Perlman from question 3 found that textbook A contained the word "he" 80 times, whereas textbook B contained it 20 times. In addition, textbook A used the word "chairman" 16 times, whereas textbook B used it only 4 times. Perlman was correct in concluding that​

A) ​textbook A was four times as sexist as textbook B.
B) textbook B was one-fourth as sexist as textbook A.​
C) the words "he" and "chairman" appeared four times more in textbook A than in textbook B.​
D) textbook A was more sexist than textbook B from the standpoint of latent content coding​

Question 18

As a mode of observation, content analysis is essentially an operation of coding.​

Question 19

Content analysis can be done on newspaper materials and government documents but NOT on diaries and letters.​

Question 20

Historical and comparative data analysis often is influenced by a particular theoretical paradigm.​

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true about historical/comparative analysis?​

A) ​It is comparative in that it seeks to discover common patterns that recur in different times and places.
B) Secondary sources for raw data typically include old letters, diaries, or lectures.​
C) Flaws might exist in secondary sources, but not in primary sources.​
D) Avoiding bias is assured by relying on official government records.​

Question 22

Describe the difference between primary and secondary sources in historical research and the cautions to keep in mind when using each type of source.​

Question 23

Describe a study for which content analysis is the appropriate research method. Discuss how you would use manifest and latent coding. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the two coding schemes.​

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true about analyzing historical data?​

A) ​The original hypothesis can be revised continually throughout the analytic process.
B) Only qualitative methods can be used.​
C) Quantitative methods are used more often than qualitative methods.​
D) Their interpretation cannot be influenced by any particular theoretical paradigm.​

Question 25

Describe a study for which the secondary analysis of existing data is the appropriate research method. What source would you use? What problems might you encounter and how would you resolve them?​