Deck 3: Philosophy and Theory in Social Work Research

Question 1

A study that attempts to maximize precision and objectivity in testing whether an intervention reduces an undesirable behavior is being guided by what paradigm?

A) postmodernism.
B) contemporary positivism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The expectation that increased education leads to a reduction in prejudice illustrates

A) a relationship between variables.
B) the notion of causation.
C) the associations that might logically be expected to exist between particular attributes of different variables.
D) a hypothesis.
E) all of the above.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following statements is are true about the hypothesis: Child welfare workers with social work degrees have a are more effective in preventing child maltreatment than are child welfare workers without a social work degree?

A) Type of degree is the dependent variable.
B) Child maltreatment is the independent variable.
C) Social workers is a variable.
D) All of the above are true.
E)None of the above is true.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following best illustrates the idiographic model?

A) A study of one client, seeking to understand the causes of the client's problems and what is effective in helping the client.
B) A study of 200 clients, seeking to generalize about whether ethnicity is related to premature termination of services.
C) Quantitative studies using graphs of population trends.
D) Studies that reject the idea of determinism.

Question 5

A study that attempts to develop an in-depth subjective understanding of a unique cult is being guided by what paradigm?

A) early positivism.
B) postpositivism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Question 6

Believing that there are only multiple subjective realities,and questioning the existence of an objective external reality,is associated with what view of reality?

A) modern.
B) premodern.
C) postmodern.
D) submodern.

Question 7

Which of the following are variables?

A) female, Jewish, high school graduate.
B) plumber, professor, dentist.
C) occupation, political party preference, birth date.
D) 21, violent, poor.
E)none of the above.

Question 8

A frame of reference for interpreting the world is referred to as a

A) paradigm.
B) theory.
C) hypothesis.
D) law.
E) concept.

Question 9

Which of the following is an attribute? :

A) Religion.
B) Female.
C) Occupation.
D) Socioeconomic status.

Question 10

The statement "Social workers should be empathic" is a(n)

A) hypothesis.
B) theory.
C) error in selective observation.
D) value judgment.
E)error in premature closure of inquiry.

Question 11

A probabilistic explanation takes the form

A) x is always y.
B) x is never y.
C) x tends to be y.
D) x is y if a and b are true.
E) None of the above is probabilistic.

Question 12

Which of the following illustrates the use of the inductive method?

A) hypothesis, observations, accept or reject hypothesis.
B) observations, pattern finding, and generalizations.
C) theory, hypothesis, observations, generalizations.
D) theory, observations, and generalizations.
E) generalizations, theory, and observations.

Question 13

An independent variable is

A) a theoretical concept.
B) a variable influencing other variables.
C) a variable influenced by other variables.
D) a set of attributes.
E)either b or c, depending upon the variable.

Question 14

An ideology is:

A) a paradigm that is open to questioning
B) a theory of ideas.
C) a closed system of beliefs and values.
D) None of the above.

Question 15

Marxism is an example of:

A) an ideology.
B) a paradigm.
C) a theory.
D) interpretivism.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is/are true about theory is

A)It is a set of paradigms.
B)It is a set of values.
C)It a systematic set of interrelated statements that can help make sense of patterns in diverse observations.
D)all of the above.

Question 17

Research studies that do not involve theory:

A) are useless.
B) cannot develop implications for theory advancement.
C) can have value.
D) none of the above.

Question 18

Researchers must choose either deductive methods or inductive methods; they cannot use both when studying the same research question.

Question 19

A study that attempts to gather data as ammunition for advocating for a particular cause is being guided by what paradigm?

A) early positivism.
B) postpositivism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is are not true about social work practice models?

A) Some models expand over time, encompassing new areas of research findings and theory.
B) Distinctions between some models can become blurred over time.
C) One's orientation to a practice model can influence the way one chooses to conduct a research study.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 21

Contemporary positivists pursue objectivity in assessing social reality,but recognize that observation and measurement cannot be as purely objective as the ideal image that science implies.

Question 22

The idiographic model seeks to understand everything about a particular case,through the use of as many causative factors as possible.

Question 23

Postmodernists believe in the existence of a knowable objective external reality.

Question 24

Discuss the difference between idiographic and nomothetic causal models of understanding.

Question 25

Explain how a study could be conducted within the critical social science paradigm using research methods associated with the positivist paradigm.

Question 26

Suppose a study finds a relationship in which neglectful parents who abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to benefirom intervention A,while neglectful parents who do NOT abuse alcohol or drugs are more likely to benefirom intervention B.Identify the two variables and four attributes in that relationship.

Question 27

The nomothetic model is inevitably probabilistic in its approach to causation.

Question 28

How are theory and research linked? Give examples.

Question 29

In deduction we starrom observed data and develop a generalization that explains the relationship between the observed concepts.

Question 30

Contrast the inductive model of theory construction with the deductive model.Give examples of research that use each of these models.

Question 31

Explain the differences between the positivist,interpretivist and critical theory paradigms.

Question 32

Social work practice models are mutually exclusive; that is,they do not overlap.

Question 33

Discuss how two social work practice models might lead to different hypotheses about school social work with children who are disruptive in the classroom.

Question 34

In the hypothesis,"Parental praise increases child self-esteem,level of self-esteem is the dependent variable.

Question 35

Some researchers can have vested interests in finding certain results.

Question 36

"African American" is a variable that has the attribute of "ethnicity."

Question 37

If the job turnover rate among child welfare workers with social work degrees is 10 percent per year,while the turnover rate among their counterparts without social work degrees is 50 percent per year,then a relationship exists between type of degree and turnover rate.