Question 1

Dr. Zimbardo is examining the effect that pornographic movies have on the ways in which single men respond to the needs of women. He has one group of men watch pornographic films and another watch Three Stooges episodes. He then tests their reactions to women in need by showing them short film clips and following up with a series of questions. What research method is Dr. Zimbardo using?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Zimbardo is using an experiment to investigate the effect of pornographic movies on the ways in which single men respond to the needs of women. He is manipulating the independent variable (type of movie watched) and measuring the dependent variable (reactions to women in need). The use of control group (watching Three Stooges episodes) strengthens the validity of the experiment.

Question 2

Sam is conducting interviews to assess students' opinions on how President Bush handled the second Gulf War. Because this is a controversial topic at Sam's conservative campus, what is the best way for him to develop a sense of rapport with the sample?

Accepted Answer

Starting with neutral questions and avoiding sensitive issues can help establish a comfortable atmosphere and build a sense of trust with the participants. A stipend or promise of anonymity may also be helpful, but starting with these approaches may make the study feel more transactional or secretive, potentially harming rapport in the long run. Revealing personal political beliefs (as in option D) may also create bias or discomfort for some participants.

Question 3

While conducting research on domestic abuse, Tanya asked workers at a battered women's shelter, "What do you think causes some men to abuse their wives?" She then permitted the workers to elaborate on their answers. What is the term used to describe such a question, one that leads to this type of answering option?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an open-ended question, as it allows the workers to provide their own thoughts and opinions on the topic without being confined to a specific set of answer options.

Question 4

Which of the following research errors is less likely to be classified as fraud and more likely to be considered as simply sloppy work?

Accepted Answer

Analyzing data incorrectly may be seen as a mistake or error in judgment rather than fraud. Choosing a biased sample or asking biased questions could be seen as intentional manipulation of data, and disregarding undesirable results could be seen as intentionally suppressing negative findings.

Question 5

If a researcher is reading diaries to collect information about the attitudes of rape victims, he or she is using ________ to collect the data.

Accepted Answer

The researcher is using documents, specifically diaries, to collect the data. Ethnography would involve observing and interacting with a particular culture or group of people, dramaturgical analysis would involve analyzing social interactions as if they were performances, and unstructured interviews would involve open-ended questioning and conversation with individuals.

Question 6

Using Facebook to study the race-ethnicity of friendships among college students would be an example of which research method?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Using Facebook to study the race-ethnicity of...

Question 7

Juanita is conducting survey research for the Colgate-Palmolive Company. The company recently sent several cases of personal-sized toothpaste to Dr. Yankum as a part of a promotion. Juanita is surveying patients as they leave Dr. Yankum's office to ask if the dentist gave them any hygiene items to continue quality dental care. Juanita has discovered that practically every patient received Colgate and has concluded in her report that dentists prefer Colgate toothpaste over other brands. What flaw exists in Juanita's research?

Accepted Answer

Juanita is using a biased sample by only surveying patients who have just received Colgate toothpaste from Dr. Yankum. This does not represent the opinions of all dentists, as other dentists may give out different brands of toothpaste. Therefore, her conclusion that "dentists prefer Colgate toothpaste" is not supported by her research.

Question 8

Max has developed the hypothesis that the stress felt by unemployed men increases the probability of spousal abuse. In this case, stress would be considered the ________ variable and spousal abuse would be considered the ________ variable.

Accepted Answer

In this hypothesis, Max is positing that the stress variable is causing changes in the spousal abuse variable. This makes stress the independent variable and spousal abuse the dependent variable.

Question 9

Phillip would like to collect information from a large number of people, but he has a limited budget. In order to sample a large number, but to keep the cost low, Phillip should use ________ as a research method.

Accepted Answer

Self-administered questionnaires are cost-effective for collecting data from a large number of people, as they require less time and resources compared to interviews or stratified sampling methods.

Question 10

Jasmine is an African American graduate student. She is conducting research on the effects that affirmative action programs have had on American corporations. She found that 95 percent of the subjects she personally interviewed with open-ended questions, covering a diverse sample of 500 corporate executives, stated that they approved of affirmative action. Her response rate approving affirmative action programs was dramatically higher than the national average. In view of this, Jasmine's research was most likely affected by ________.

Accepted Answer

Interviewer bias can influence the responses of subjects, especially in sensitive topics like affirmative action, potentially leading to higher approval rates than the national average.

Question 11

Which of the following examination formats is most likely to incorporate closed-ended questions?

Accepted Answer

Multiple-choice exams typically incorporate closed-ended questions where students must choose the correct answer from a set of options, whereas other exam formats such as essay exams or oral exams may require open-ended responses. Fill-in-the-blank exams may also incorporate closed-ended questions, but they are typically only used for specific types of content or knowledge.

Question 12

The feeling of trust that researchers establish with their respondents is referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

Rapport refers to the establishment of a positive, comfortable relationship between researcher and respondent, which can enhance the respondent's willingness to share truthful and detailed information. Choices A, C, and D are related to other aspects of research methodology.

Question 13

When a researcher focuses on a single event, situation, or individual, the resulting research is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A case study is a research method that involves an in-depth examination of a single event, situation, or individual. It is often used in psychology, sociology, and anthropology to gather detailed information and insights into specific cases. It can involve qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, such as interviews, observations, and document analysis.

Question 14

Jarod is conducting research on the homeless. For six weeks, he has lived among the homeless "24/7," sleeping on the street or at a shelter, and engaging in the same activities as the population he is studying. By doing so, Jarod has been able to gather a broad understanding of the homeless, their needs, and characteristics. In view of this, Jarod is using ________ as a method of gathering data.

Accepted Answer

Jarod's method of living among and interacting with the homeless population is known as participant observation, which involves immersing oneself in the environment being studied and observing the behavior and characteristics of the participants. Representative sampling involves selecting a sample of the population being studied to be representative of the larger population, secondary analysis involves using existing data sources to answer research questions, and content analysis involves analyzing existing texts or artifacts to identify patterns or themes.

Question 15

What is the major problem with using participant observation as a research tool?

Accepted Answer

Participant observation involves observing and interacting with a specific group of people, which can lead to findings that lack generalizability to other populations or contexts. While this method has its strengths in providing in-depth understanding of a particular group, it may not be representative of the larger population.

Question 16

An attractive African American woman is conducting random interviews on campus to gather data on students' opinions on the reverse discrimination suit filed by white students at the University of Michigan School of Law. Four out of five of the white respondents and virtually all of the African American respondents favor the court's ruling and supports "bonus points" being given to applicants of color. Based on this information, what is probably affecting the data collection process?

Accepted Answer

The data collection process is likely affected by interviewer bias, as the race and attractiveness of the interviewer may influence the responses of the participants. The fact that a majority of white respondents disagree with the court's ruling suggests that their responses may have been negatively influenced by their perception of the interviewer. Additionally, the fact that virtually all African American respondents favor the ruling suggests that they may have felt more comfortable expressing their opinions to someone who shares their racial background. This underscores the importance of considering potential sources of bias when collecting data, particularly in sensitive or controversial areas.

Question 17

Every research method has its drawbacks. Which method often leads the current researcher to question the manner in which the data were gathered, the accuracy of the data, and the training of the original researchers?

Accepted Answer

Secondary analysis often leads researchers to question the data collection methods, accuracy, and the training of the original researchers because they are using pre-existing data that they did not collect themselves.

Question 18

What is another term used to describe the research method called participant observation?

Accepted Answer

Participant observation is often referred to as fieldwork, as it involves an immersive experience of observing and interacting with participants in their natural environment. Content analysis involves analyzing existing documents or media, survey research involves collecting data through questionnaires or interviews, and unobtrusive measures involve analyzing behaviors or artifacts without direct participant interaction.

Question 19

In an experiment, one group of participants is exposed to treatment, another is exposed to an application identified to them as treatment, and another is not exposed to any treatment. In such a procedure, the participants who are not exposed to any form of treatment, either genuine or false, are classified as the ________ group.

Accepted Answer

The group of participants who do not receive any form of treatment are referred to as the control group. The control group is used as a baseline to compare the effects of treatment in the experimental group and the placebo group. Therefore, option D is the best choice.

Question 20

A researcher is asking questions of a serious nature, and a respondent gives only "socially acceptable" answers. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of interviewer bias, as the questions asked by the researcher may have influenced the respondent to give socially acceptable answers instead of honest ones.

Quiz 5: How Sociologists Do Research