Question 1

After reading the newspaper article reporting the standardized testing scores of various schools throughout the city, Sam asserted that the teachers in school A should all be fired because of the low results. Darlene asked Sam if he ever considered that school A was located in the poorest section of the city with one of the highest proportions of English as Second Language students. What was Darlene arguing?

Accepted Answer

Darlene is arguing for multiple causation, meaning that there are multiple factors contributing to the low standardized testing scores in school A, such as its location in the poorest section of the city with a high proportion of English as Second Language students.

Question 2

In studying how ethnicity influences social interaction, Foschi and Buchan were careful to assign their subjects to each of the experimental conditions. Which process did they use?

Accepted Answer

Foschi and Buchan used random assignment to ensure that their subjects were assigned to each of the experimental conditions in a random and unbiased way. This helps to control for any potential confounding variables and strengthens the internal validity of their study.

Question 3

A social scientist conducts research on expectations and performance. He sets up two scenarios: one where a group does a task without any intervention and a second one where a different group is given the same task, but told to expect that the task will be difficult. The results are then measured. What kind of research has been conducted?

Accepted Answer

The scenario described involves manipulating an independent variable (the expectation of difficulty) and measuring the effect on a dependent variable (task performance). This is a classic experimental design.

Question 4

What does the term external validity mean in relation to experimental research?

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which the findings of an experiment can be generalized to the larger population or real-world settings. Option A is referring to peer review, which is not related to external validity. Option B is referring to reliability, which is not the same as external validity. Option D is referring to validity, but not external validity specifically.

Question 5

In a study of the health of 16-year-old runaways in Toronto, the researcher examined housing, employment, and education. In this research, which of the following is an independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In a study of the health of...

Question 6

Students who work at part-time jobs get lower grades than those who do not work. In methodological terms, what kind of variable are students' grades?

Accepted Answer

Students' grades are the outcome being measured in this scenario, making them the dependent variable.

Question 7

Erving Goffman's work on the insane asylum revealed insights about mental patients. Which method of understanding was that work based on?

Accepted Answer

Goffman's work on the insane asylum was based on the concept of "the definition of the situation," which focuses on how people interpret and make sense of situations and behaviors within social contexts. This approach emphasizes the importance of understanding the meanings and symbols that people use to construct their reality and interpersonal interactions. Goffman argued that mental patients are stigmatized by their label as insane and that their behavior is often shaped by the expectations and definitions others impose upon them.

Question 8

Heidi observed children playing in a controlled setting, limiting toys and adult interaction. When the findings were compared with children studied playing in their homes, many findings were the same. This showed the first experiment had what feature?

Accepted Answer

The first experiment had external validity, which refers to the extent to which the results can be generalized to real-life settings. This is demonstrated by the fact that the findings were similar to those found in children playing in their homes, indicating that the controlled setting did not significantly alter the behavior of the children. Control (choice A) refers to the degree to which extraneous variables are eliminated in an experiment, while similar independent variables (choice B) refer to the use of the same or similar experimental conditions across different groups. Social interaction (choice D) is not directly related to the design feature being described in this question.

Question 9

What is external validity?

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which research findings can be generalized to other populations, settings or situations beyond those studied in the original study. Option A is incorrect because external validity does not refer to the accuracy of external measures. Option B is partially correct but the term external validity is specifically used to refer to the generalizability of research findings. Option D is incorrect because external validity is not related to peer review assessments.

Question 10

We must be cautious in generalizing the results of laboratory experiments to nonlaboratory situations. What concept below is used in explaining the extent to which experimental findings remain valid in nonlaboratory situations?

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which experimental findings can be generalized to real-world situations outside of the laboratory. It is important to consider this when making conclusions based on experimental data.

Question 11

In what kind of study do researchers attempt to closely control the research environment?

Accepted Answer

Experimental research is the type of study where researchers attempt to closely control the research environment in order to manipulate independent variables and measure the effect on dependent variables. This involves manipulating the experimental conditions under which participants are tested and controlling for extraneous variables that could affect the outcomes.

Question 12

A researcher conducts a very carefully designed experiment on the relationship between time spent viewing violent video games and the incidence of violent behaviour. The researcher then generalizes these results to the broader gaming community. If the research accurately reflects behaviours in the broader gaming community, then what can be said about this experiment?

Accepted Answer

The experiment has external validity because it accurately reflects behaviours in the broader gaming community.

Question 13

What kind of research should a social scientist use to clearly establish the causal relationship between two variables?

Accepted Answer

Experimental research involves manipulating one variable (independent variable) while measuring the effect it has on another variable (dependent variable) in a controlled setting. This allows the researcher to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the two variables.

Question 14

The professor was curious if a 5 percent bonus mark would influence students to submit their term essays on time. Half the students were offered the bonus mark for on-time submission, the other half were not offered any bonus marks. What kind of variable is the bonus mark incentive?

Accepted Answer

The bonus mark incentive is considered an independent variable because it is being manipulated to see if it has an effect on the dependent variable (whether or not students submit their term essays on time).

Question 15

Elisa has 1000 participants over the age of 21 for a research project on urban lifestyles, providing people in one group with a car, and another group with public transit passes. What procedure is best for selecting who will be in the group given a car?

Accepted Answer

The best procedure for selecting who will be in the group given a car is to randomly select participants and then assign them to either the car group or the public transit pass group. This can be done by flipping a coin, which is a fair and unbiased way to make the decision. This will help to ensure that the groups are similar in terms of their demographics and other characteristics, which is important for the validity of the research. Selecting by age, residential area, or education level may introduce bias and affect the results of the study.

Question 16

What is required for a full appreciation of a social activity?

Accepted Answer

To fully appreciate a social activity, both explanation and understanding are required. Explanation is necessary to understand the structure and purpose of the activity, while understanding involves empathy and appreciation for the social and cultural significance of the activity. Both are necessary for a full appreciation of the activity. Objectivity and subjectivity, understanding and correlation, and value neutrality and bias are not necessarily required for a full appreciation.

Question 17

What is the best scientific methodology for a scientist to use to isolate a cause?

Accepted Answer

An experiment allows a scientist to manipulate variables and control potential confounding factors to isolate a cause-effect relationship.

Answer: C) field research 
 Field research involves observing and collecting data in natural settings, which allows for the examination of complex and dynamic systems. However, it may be difficult to control extraneous variables in field research.

Answer: D) observation studies 
 Observation studies can help identify correlations between variables and can provide insights into potential causal relationships. However, they cannot definitively establish cause and effect relationships.

B) a survey: Surveys may be useful for obtaining opinions and attitudes of individuals, but they are not typically used to isolate causes.

Question 18

A researcher was interested in the influence of music on job motivation. One group was assigned to hear music while working and the other group would not hear music while working. To determine which test subject would go into which group, she flipped a coin. What term is given to this process of assignment?

Accepted Answer

The process of assigning participants to different groups by flipping a coin is an example of randomization, which helps ensure that both groups are equal and that any differences observed between them can be attributed to the experimental manipulation (listening to music). Establishing a control group and controls are important steps in experimental design, but they do not refer to the process of assignment. Random sampling refers to the process of selecting participants from a larger population, which is not applicable in this scenario.

Question 19

For a scientific explanation to be judged adequate, what must it incorporate?

Accepted Answer

A scientific explanation must incorporate causal mechanisms to explain the relationship between variables being studied. Statistical significance, representative samples, and nonrecursive sequencing may be important components in some studies, but are not necessary for an explanation to be judged adequate.

Question 20

If a person's sex is said to affect his or her income, then what kind of variable is sex?

Accepted Answer

Sex is the independent variable in this scenario because it is believed to be the determining factor affecting income. The income is therefore the dependent variable and any other variables (such as education, experience, or job position) that could affect income would be considered control variables.

Quiz 20: Research Methods