Deck 3: Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations

Question 1

A philosophical concept that asks how we know what we say we know, and what constitutes legitimate knowledge is called _______________.

A) determinism
B) falsification doctrine
C) replication
D) epistemology

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Positivists social science is _____________________.

A) a critical process of inquiry that generates liberating knowledge so as to reveal structural and cultural inhibiting forces in an attempt to help people change their living conditions and build a better world for themselves.
B) an approach to research that emphasizes the systematic analysis and detailed study of people and text in order to arrive at understandings and interpretations of how people construct and maintain meaning within their social worlds
C) a method for combining deductive logic with precise empirical observations in order to discover and confirm a set or probabilistic causal laws that can be used to predict general patterns of human activity
D) a philosophical position that views reality and causal processes as fairly straightforward and determinable through scientific observation

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A philosophical position that views reality and causal processes as fairly straightforward and determinable through scientific observation is called __________.

A) essentialism
B) determinism
C) replication
D) falsification doctrine

Answer 3

A

Question 4

An approach to human behavior and causality that assumes human actions are largely caused by forces external to individuals that can be identified is called ________.

A) determinism
B) replication
C) falsification doctrine
D) essentialism

Question 5

According to the text, what is the best way to produce knowledge?

A) religion
B) astrology
C) personal experience
D) science

Question 6

A research project conducted for the sole purpose of testing the scientific credibility of an existing study using the same methods as the original study is called _____.

A) determinism
B) replication
C) falsification doctrine
D) essentialism

Question 7

Interpretive social science is ___________________.

A) a critical process of inquiry that generates liberating knowledge so as to reveal structural and cultural inhibiting forces in an attempt to help people change their living conditions and build a better world for themselves.
B) an approach to research that emphasizes the systematic analysis and detailed study of people and text in order to arrive at understandings and interpretations of how people construct and maintain meaning within their social worlds
C) a method for combining deductive logic with precise empirical observations in order to discover and confirm a set or probabilistic causal laws that can be used to predict general patterns of human activity
D) a philosophical position that views reality and causal processes as fairly straightforward and determinable through scientific observation

Question 8

Interpretive social science (ISS) can be traced to German sociologist ______.

A) Auguste Comte
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Sir Karl Popper
D) Max Weber

Question 9

Max Weber's concept defined as empathetic understanding used by ISS researchers as their primary goal is called ____________ .

A) objectivity
B) verstehen
C) identification
D) sympathy

Question 10

The capacity of human beings to exercise conscious and free choices is called ________.

A) determinism
B) human agency
C) freedom
D) selective choice

Question 11

Critical social science can best be associated with _______________.

A) Auguste Comte
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Sir Karl Popper
D) Karl Marx

Question 12

Critical social science is ____________________.

A) a critical process of inquiry that generates liberating knowledge so as to reveal structural and cultural inhibiting forces in an attempt to help people change their living conditions and build a better world for themselves
B) an approach to research that emphasizes the systematic analysis and detailed study of people and text in order to arrive at understandings and interpretations of how people construct and maintain meaning within their social worlds
C) a method for combining deductive logic with precise empirical observations in order to discover and confirm a set or probabilistic causal laws that can be used to predict general patterns of human activity
D) a philosophical position that views reality and causal processes as fairly straightforward and determinable through scientific observation

Question 13

That ideology (type of thinking, beliefs) that benefits and works to the advantage of those with cultural, political, and economic power is called ______________.

A) praxis
B) reification
C) mutually transformative process
D) none of the above

Question 14

In the statement, "low income causes crime", crime is the _____________.

A) concept
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) spurious variable

Question 15

In the statement, "an increase in the length of prison sentences for murderers would reduce the incident of murder in society" the length of sentence is a (an) _________.

A) concept
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) spurious variable

Question 16

An empirically testable version of a theoretical proposition that has not yet been tested or verified with empirical evidence. It is most often used in deductive theorizing.

A) hypothesis
B) proposition
C) theory
D) typology

Question 17

When two variables appear to be related but are actually being influenced by a third variable that third variable is a ____________.

A) concept
B) independent variable
C) dependent variable
D) spurious variable

Question 18

The co-occurrence of two events, characteristics, or factors such that when one is present, the other one is likely to be present as well is called ____________.

A) a concept
B) an association
C) an independent variable
D) a dependent variable

Question 19

A ______________ is a type of theoretical explanation about why events occur and how things work expressed in terms of the social constructed meanings and subjective worldviews.

A) positive social science explanation
B) Marxian explanation
C) interpretive explanation
D) consensus explanation

Question 20

An approach to developing or confirming a theory that begins with concrete empirical evidence and works toward more abstract concepts and theoretical relationships is called _______________.

A) inductive theorizing
B) deductive theorizing
C) causal reasoning
D) temporal reasoning

Question 21

The philosophical themes underlying the movie the Matrix are most directly found in which approach?

A) positivist social science
B) interpretive social science
C) critical social science
D) none of the above

Question 22

In order to establish causality which of the following does not have to be present?

A) temporal order
B) association
C) the elimination of plausible alternatives
D) a linear progression of events

Question 23

A null hypothesis is _____________________.

A) a statement of a causal explanation or proposition that has at least one independent and one dependent variable, and has yet to be empirically tested
B) a hypothesis that states there is no significant effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable
C) a hypothesis paired with the null hypothesis with two independent variables in which it is unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect
D) a confusing and poorly designed hypothesis with two independent variables making it unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect

Question 24

An experimental hypothesis is ______________.

A) a statement of a causal explanation or proposition that has at least one independent and one dependent variable, and has yet to be empirically tested
B) a hypothesis that states there is no significant effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable
C) a hypothesis paired with the null hypothesis with two independent variables in which it is unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect
D) a confusing and poorly designed hypothesis with two independent variables making it unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect

Question 25

A causal hypothesis is __________________.

A) a statement of a causal explanation or proposition that has at least one independent and one dependent variable, and has yet to be empirically tested
B) a hypothesis that states there is no significant effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable
C) a hypothesis paired with the null hypothesis with two independent variables in which it is unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect
D) a confusing and poorly designed hypothesis with two independent variables making it unclear whether one or the other variable, or both in combination, produces an effect

Question 26

An error in explanation in which the empirical data about associations found among large-scale units of analysis are greatly over-generalized and treated as evidence for statements about relationships among much smaller units is called a (an) __________.

A) spurious relationship
B) reductionism
C) ecological fallacy
D) tautology

Question 27

____________ is a philosophical concept that asks how we know what we say we know, and what constitutes legitimate knowledge.

Question 28

The nineteenth century Frenchman who founded Sociology was __________.

Question 29

The rise of positivism in criminology can be traced to __________________.

Question 30

A method for combining deductive logic with precise empirical observations in order to discover and confirm a set of probabilistic causal laws that can be used to predict general patterns of human activity is ______________.

Question 31

PSS explanations must meet two conditions: They must have no ____________, and be consistent with the observed facts.

Question 32

Interpretive social science (ISS) can be traced to German sociologist _______.

Question 33

The purpose of _________________ is to acquire an in-depth understanding of other people, appreciate the wide diversity of lived human experience, and better acknowledge shared humanity.

Question 34

Whereas PSS assumes determinism, ISS emphasizes voluntary individual ____________.

Question 35

_______________ is usually associated with conflict theory, feminist analysis, and critical psychotherapy.

Question 36

The idea that each of us carries with us an enormous stock of theoretical knowledge essential for making sense of our surroundings is called _______________.

Question 37

A ___________ is an abstract idea expressed as a word.

Question 38

An approach to developing or confirming a theory that begins with abstract concepts and theoretical relationships and works toward more concrete empirical evidence is called ______________.

Question 39

An approach, to developing or confirming a theory that begins with concrete empirical evidence and works toward more abstract concepts and theoretical relationships, is called _______________.

Question 40

__________ theory is a type of inductive crime and justice theory often used in qualitative research that builds toward abstract theory by making comparisons of ground-level observations.

Question 41

___________ ___________, association, and the elimination of alternatives are the three things researchers need to establish causality.

Question 42

The ultimate purpose of positive social science is scientific explanation.

Question 43

Positive social science is more likely to believe in free will than determinism.

Question 44

Positive social science sees a clear separation between science and non-science.

Question 45

The goal of interpretive research is to develop an understanding of social life and discover how people construct meaning in natural settings.

Question 46

Positive social science's purpose is to acquire an in-depth understanding of other people, appreciate the wide diversity of lived human experience, and better acknowledge shared humanity.

Question 47

The purpose of critical research is not simply to study the world but to change it.

Question 48

A theory is an empirically testable version of a theoretical proposition that has not yet been tested or verified with empirical evidence. It is most often used in deductive theorizing.

Question 49

Spuriousness is an apparent causal relationship that is actually false because of an alternative but unrecognized cause.

Question 50

The commonsense notion that the cause must come before an effect is called temporal order.

Question 51

The Hurricane Katrina disaster is not a particularly good social event for conducting worthwhile social science research.

Question 52

Understanding the philosophical foundations of research has four important benefits, what are those four benefits and how do they impact approaches to research?

Question 53

Compare and contrast the purpose of research for PSS, ISS, and CSS?

Question 54

Compare and contrast the nature of reality and validity of data for PSS, ISS, and CSS?

Question 55

Identify and explain the four philosophical features of positive social science, interpretive social science, and critical social science?

Question 56

Describe the relationship between theory and concepts using the major terms found in the text.