Deck 2: How Sociologists Do Research

Question 1

Consider this statement: "People with more intelligence have better sex lives." What does this statement exemplify?

A) a pattern
B) a concept
C) a percept
D) a proposition

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to the textbook,which of the following best describes "ideas"?

A) truth
B) fantasy
C) validity
D) reliability

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Life is meaningful for humans because of which level of experience?

A) the abstract level
B) the traditional level
C) the concrete level
D) the sensate level

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Consider this statement: "Canada should have less inequality." What kind of statement is it?

A) a concrete pattern
B) an abstract pattern
C) a concrete proposition
D) an abstract proposition

Question 5

Two observers standing on a street corner saw an automobile accident.While both observers witnessed the same event,they disagreed over which driver was responsible for the accident.What is this example based on?

A) selective observation
B) casual observation
C) direct observation
D) indirect observation

Question 6

What do we call knowledge based on customary assumptions that may or may not be accurate?

A) sociological thinking
B) scientific thinking
C) traditional thinking
D) social thinking

Question 7

At which level of experience do seeing,touching,tasting,smelling,and hearing occur?

A) the abstract level
B) the symbolic level
C) the concrete level
D) the sensate level

Question 8

Which of the following represents a pattern?

A) a collection of notes in a song
B) a letter in a word in a book
C) a dot on a page in a graph
D) a brick in a wall in the garden

Question 9

What are the basic units of the abstract level of experience?

A) percepts
B) patterns
C) concepts
D) propositions

Question 10

A community holds a parade every year after which area farmers proceed to plant their crops.While the parade does not influence the harvest in any demonstrable way,the community still believes that a good parade increases the crop yield.What does this example illustrate?

A) sociological thinking
B) scientific thinking
C) formal thinking
D) traditional thinking

Question 11

When Jacob hears Sasha play a single note on the piano,what is the name given to the sound he hears?

A) a percept
B) a pattern
C) a concept
D) a prototype

Question 12

According to the textbook,what is the aim of sociological research?

A) to generate meaningful abstract propositions
B) to identify reliable and valid concrete patterns
C) to link abstract patterns to concrete propositions
D) to connect abstract and concrete levels

Question 13

Where is the abstract level of experience located?

A) in the mind
B) in morals
C) in sensations
D) in syntax

Question 14

If you label all of the people seated in your classroom as "students," what process are you using?

A) classification
B) conceptualization
C) typification
D) organization

Question 15

Which of the following is a feature of concrete experience,as discussed in the textbook?

A) It is meaningful in and of itself.
B) It defines humans as separate from all living beings.
C) It lacks sensation except to those most sensitive
D) It occurs among all living beings.

Question 16

What process transforms percepts into patterns?

A) abstraction
B) collection
C) concretization
D) operationalization

Question 17

Which of the following terms is synonymous with the word "proposition"?

A) idea
B) value
C) fact
D) moral

Question 18

According to William James,which of the following describes a newborn's experience?

A) clear, concise concept
B) blooming, buzzing confusion
C) soft, supportive sanctuary
D) calm, coddled cocoon

Question 19

At what level of experience do patterns occur?

A) the abstract level
B) the symbolic level
C) the concrete level
D) the sensate level

Question 20

What does the textbook example of OTTFFSSENT demonstrate?

A) Our understanding of reality is shaped by our experience.
B) Our understanding of reality is confirmed by experience.
C) Reality is objectively known by children more than adults.
D) Reality is objectively known by adults more than children.

Question 21

If the researcher takes account of "gender" in her analysis,what is this additional variable called?

A) a control variable
B) an intervening variable
C) an independent variable
D) a dependent variable

Question 22

When conducting research with human beings,what must sociologists be mindful of?

A) respecting the reputation of their university
B) respecting the need for public information
C) respecting the advantages of technology
D) respecting the research subject's rights

Question 23

Someone who ignores contradictory evidence because it challenges cherished beliefs is guilty of creating ideas from what kind of observation?

A) selective observation
B) casual observation
C) direct observation
D) indirect observation

Question 24

When sociologists say that research subjects have the right to privacy,what part of the research process are they referring to?

A) ethical considerations
B) reviewing the literature
C) publishing the results
D) collecting data

Question 25

In this scenario,what is grade point average (GPA)?

A) the control variable
B) the constant
C) the independent variable
D) the dependent variable

Question 26

When a sociological researcher interviews workers about their opinions of their health insurance,what stage of research is the researcher engaging in?

A) reviewing the literature
B) selecting a research method
C) formulating a research question
D) collecting the data

Question 27

A sports commentator insists that football teams from Florida cannot win in cold weather because these teams have lost 55 percent of their past games when played in cold weather.Which form of knowledge does this statement represent?

A) overgeneralization
B) generalization
C) the exception to the rule
D) illogical reasoning

Question 28

When sociologists say that research subjects have the right to safety,what part of the research process are they referring to?

A) selecting a research method
B) reviewing the literature
C) ethical considerations
D) collecting the data

Question 29

In this scenario,what is social class?

A) the control variable
B) the constant
C) the independent variable
D) the dependent variable

Question 30

Mathias refuses to discuss any competing view about string theory.He states,"We know all there is to know about string theory and this view does not fit with the theory!" What form of non-scientific thinking is Mathias demonstrating?

A) overgeneralization
B) the exception to the rule
C) premature closure of inquiry
D) mystification

Question 31

Sociological research attempts to overcome non-scientific thinking by following a rigorous six-step model.What is the first step of this process?

A) reviewing the literature
B) selecting a research method
C) formulating a research question
D) collecting the data

Question 32

The textbook discusses 10 types of non-scientific thinking.Which of the following is one of them?

A) consistent observation
B) subjective observation
C) premature closure of inquiry
D) irrational investigation

Question 33

Jamie believes that if she steps on a crack in the sidewalk,her mother's back will break.What form of non-scientific thinking is Jamie demonstrating?

A) overgeneralization
B) premature closure of inquiry
C) the exception to the rule
D) mystification

Question 34

A neighbour talking to others in her community said that all members of the working class prefer to wear blue jeans rather than dress pants.She said this because all working-class people she knows wear jeans.This statement is an example of knowledge based on what?

A) overgeneralization
B) generalization
C) tradition
D) qualification

Question 35

When people say,"There is no way that I can be wrong," what kind of non-scientific thought pattern are they committing?

A) overgeneralization
B) premature closure of inquiry
C) ego defence
D) mystification

Question 36

When sociologists say that research subjects have the right to confidentiality,what part of the research process are they referring to?

A) ethical considerations
B) analyzing the data
C) formulating a research question
D) collecting data

Question 37

John tells Renée,"If you work hard you can get ahead,because my parents told me that this has happened to several people they know." What non-scientific type of thought is John guilty of?

A) traditional thinking
B) casual observation
C) authoritative observation
D) overgeneralization

Question 38

What is the population in this scenario?

A) Introductory Sociology students
B) students at the researcher's university
C) all university students in Canada
D) all university students in North America

Question 39

When people say,"There must be supernatural forces at work here," what kind of non-scientific thought are they guilty of?

A) traditional thinking
B) casual observation
C) selective observation
D) mystification

Question 40

What is the Introductory Sociology class in this scenario?

A) the sample
B) the population
C) the control group
D) a subset

Question 41

Which of the following represents an ethical consideration when doing research?

A) selecting an inappropriate research method
B) neglecting to choose a representative sample
C) failing to formulate a research question
D) plagiarizing someone else's work

Question 42

What process translates an abstract concept into a testable variable?

A) measurement
B) validation
C) operationalization
D) abstraction

Question 43

During a research study on people's views toward crime,a sociologist was careful to make up false names for the research subjects rather than use their real names in the research.Why is this important?

A) People's rights to confidentiality must be ensured.
B) People's rights to anonymity must be ensured.
C) People's rights to privacy must be ensured.
D) People's rights to impartiality must be ensured.

Question 44

What do you call a carefully controlled artificial situation that allows researchers to isolate hypothesized causes and measure their effects precisely?

A) a random sample
B) a population
C) an experiment
D) a sample

Question 45

When an idea is translated into a testable form,what is the result called?

A) a proposition
B) a hypothesis
C) a pattern
D) a measurement

Question 46

What is the term for unverified but testable statements about the phenomena that researchers are interested in?

A) concepts
B) hypotheses
C) mores
D) constructs

Question 47

According to the textbook's discussion of variables,which of the following is a feature of the term "alienation"?

A) It is an abstract concept lacking concrete properties.
B) It is an abstract concept possessing concrete properties.
C) It is a concrete variable without meaning.
D) It is a concrete variable with meaning.

Question 48

According to the textbook,what are sociological researchers interested in doing with abstract propositions?

A) generating them
B) confirming them
C) testing them
D) supporting them

Question 49

What is the name for any social concept that can have more than one value?

A) a variable
B) a hypothesis
C) a grounded theory
D) a construct

Question 50

What is used in an experiment to select the members of an experimental group and a control group?

A) a sampling frame
B) a representative sample
C) a probability sample
D) a randomization technique

Question 51

A researcher decides to measure happiness by the number of times a person smiles each hour.Which statement best describes how happiness and smiling are connected?

A) Both happiness and smiling are variables.
B) Both happiness and smiling are concepts.
C) Happiness is a concept and smiling a variable.
D) Happiness is a variable and smiling is a concept.

Question 52

According to research,approximately what percentage of university students today plagiarize in their work?

A) 10 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) 40 percent

Question 53

Suppose a researcher decides to use income as a measure of social class position.Which of the following concepts is this researcher employing?

A) operationalization
B) reactivity
C) grounded theory
D) instrumentation

Question 54

Which of the following is a variable?

A) university student
B) Catholic
C) male
D) blood type

Question 55

Which outcome results from the process of randomization?

A) The experimental group receives the independent variable.
B) The control group receives the independent variable.
C) The experimental and control groups are equivalent on all variables.
D) The experimental and control groups are equivalent except for the independent variable.

Question 56

A researcher decides to measure happiness by the number of times a person smiles each hour.What process has occurred?

A) measurement
B) operationalization
C) validation
D) specification

Question 57

When Professor Lee states that a hypothesis is an "educated guess," what does she mean by "educated"?

A) It comes from empirical evidence.
B) It comes from variable evidence.
C) It comes from the concrete level.
D) It comes from the abstract level.

Question 58

What does the operationalization process do?

A) It translates concepts into variables.
B) It translates variables into hypotheses.
C) It translates propositions into patterns.
D) It translates patterns into hypotheses.

Question 59

In an experiment,how do the experimental and control groups differ?

A) Only the experimental group is measured on the dependent variable.
B) Only the control group is measured on the dependent variable.
C) Only the experimental group is administered the independent variable.
D) Only the control group is administered the dependent variable.

Question 60

When we say that research subjects have the right to informed consent,what part of the research process are we referring to?

A) reviewing the literature
B) ethical considerations
C) analyzing the data
D) choosing the research method

Question 61

Which is the following is the most widely used sociological method?

A) experiments
B) surveys
C) participant observation
D) existing statistics

Question 62

According to the textbook,how do most sociologists feel about removing people from their natural social settings in experimental research?

A) They believe it is unethical.
B) They believe it is stressful and traumatic.
C) They believe it is detrimental to the validity of research findings.
D) They believe it is unfair to minority participants.

Question 63

Which statement best describes the experimental evidence connecting TV violence to violent behaviour?

A) A convincing connection exists.
B) No convincing connection exists.
C) Because of reliability problems, no convincing connection exists.
D) Because of validity problems, no convincing connection exists.

Question 64

The question of whether researcher A would interpret or measure a variable in the same way as researcher B is a question of what?

A) reliability
B) validity
C) generalizability
D) causality

Question 65

When research subjects have an equal chance to be assigned to either the control group or the experimental group,what is this process called?

A) randomization
B) population
C) experiment
D) sample

Question 66

Suppose a researcher is interested in the effect of television viewing on behaviour and randomly selects male and female research subjects to determine the consequences of television viewing.In this example,what type of variable is television viewing?

A) a connected variable
B) a independent variable
C) a dependent variable
D) a control variable

Question 67

Consider this question: "Would another researcher interpret or measure things in the same way?" Which of the following concepts is related best to this question?

A) validity
B) invalid measurement
C) unreliable measurement
D) reliability

Question 68

People who are interviewed on a particular street corner do not constitute a representative sample of Canadian adults.Why?

A) The sample is unlikely to be representative.
B) The sample is too concentrated.
C) The sample will overlook children.
D) The Hawthorne effect will ruin the sample.

Question 69

A researcher measures individual intelligence by the circumference of a person's head.Which of the following statements characterizes this measurement?

A) It has high reliability and high validity.
B) It has high reliability and low validity.
C) It has low reliability and high validity.
D) It has low reliability and low validity.

Question 70

A sociologist believes that high levels of education create the opportunity for higher-paying work after graduation.What type of variable is "level of education"?

A) an independent variable
B) a dependent variable
C) a spurious variable
D) a sociological variable

Question 71

Which of the following statements best reflects the results of an experiment?

A) They have high reliability and high validity.
B) They have high reliability and low validity.
C) They have low reliability and high validity.
D) They have low reliability and low validity.

Question 72

A researcher believes that colder temperatures lead to more snowfall.What variable is the amount of snowfall?

A) the independent variable
B) the dependent variable
C) the spurious variable
D) the sociological variable

Question 73

A sociological researcher studying a new religious movement is concerned that his interpretations are accurate.What issue is the researcher here concerned about?

A) variability
B) hypothesis making
C) validity
D) operationalization

Question 74

Zachary is taking a survey about television sets.The question about preferred screen size allows four options: 12" screen,19" screen,21" screen,and 25" screen.This is an example of what kind of question?

A) open-ended question
B) close-ended question
C) essay question
D) non-response

Question 75

In an experiment,how is the effect of a cause determined?

A) by computing the initial difference between the experimental and control groups
B) by computing the final difference between the experimental and control groups
C) by computing the difference between the initial and final group differences
D) by computing the difference between the initial control group and final experimental group

Question 76

What do you call the person who answers a researcher's questions?

A) a variable
B) a respondent
C) a test subject
D) a collaborator

Question 77

Two sociologists studying a new religious movement are concerned that their interpretations are consistent.What issue are the two sociologists concerned about?

A) variability
B) correlation
C) validity
D) reliability

Question 78

The question of whether a researcher's interpretations are accurate (that is,whether his or her measurements measure what they are supposed to measure)is a question of what?

A) reliability
B) validity
C) generalizability
D) causality

Question 79

What do you call the process whereby individuals are assigned to research groups by chance?

A) randomization
B) systematic sampling
C) experimentation
D) sampling

Question 80

Suppose people are asked questions about their knowledge,attitudes,or behaviour in a face-to-face or telephone interview or using a "paper-and-pencil" format.What are they doing?

A) completing a survey
B) completing a answer-and-question session
C) carrying out an ethnographic interview
D) participating in an experiment