Deck 2: Science and Social Research: From Theory to Data and Back

Question 1

The ultimate goal of scientific inquiry is to produce knowledge in the form of

A) factual data.
B) theory.
C) technological advances.
D) new discoveries.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Data are verifiable to the extent that they are

A) systematically collected.
B) numerical in form.
C) judged to be true by the researcher.
D) observable.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What is the objective of logic or logical analysis?

A) The objective is to describe human thought processes.
B) The objective is to facilitate creativity and imagination.
C) The object is to empirically validate scientific theory.
D) The objective is to evaluate reasoning.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Refer to Box 2.2 in the text. Consider the following argument: If people are depressed, then they will lose their appetite. Alexis has lost her appetite. Therefore, Alexis is depressed. This is

A) a valid deductive argument.
B) an invalid deductive argument.
C) a weak inductive argument.
D) a strong inductive argument.

Question 5

Refer to Box 2.2 in the text. The reasoning from scientific theory to testable hypotheses should be _______; the reasoning from data to empirical patterns should be _______.

A) deductively valid; deductively valid
B) inductively sound; deductively valid
C) deductively valid; inductively sound
D) inductively sound; inductively sound

Question 6

Which of the following sequences best describes the deductive logic of inquiry?

A) Theory $\rightarrow$ data $\rightarrow$ hypothesis
B) Data $\rightarrow$ theory $\rightarrow$ hypothesis
C) Data $\rightarrow$ empirical pattern $\rightarrow$ theory
D) Theory $\rightarrow$ hypothesis $\rightarrow$ data

Question 7

Scientists apply the deductive logic of inquiry when they

A) show how a hypothesis follows from a theory.
B) infer empirical patterns from data.
C) formulate a theory to account for empirical patterns.
D) infer the validity of a theory from a set of data.

Question 8

In terms of the cyclical relationship between theory and data that is presented in the text, empirical pattern is to hypothesis as _______ is to _______.

A) deduction; induction.
B) induction; deduction.
C) theory; induction.
D) deduction; data.

Question 9

Compared to a researcher using the deductive logic of inquiry, a researcher using the inductive logic of inquiry is less likely to

A) make use of field research.
B) make use of in-depth interviews.
C) formulate a hypothesis at the beginning of the research.
D) identify empirical patterns based on the analysis of data.

Question 10

Based on Allport's theory of interracial contact, Dixon and Rosenbaum hypothesized that contact reduces racial prejudice when

A) whites interact with Blacks who are close in age.
B) whites interact with Blacks of the same gender.
C) whites interact with Blacks of the opposite gender.
D) whites personally know Blacks from school.

Question 11

Based on Allport's theory of interracial contact, Dixon and Rosenbaum hypothesized that contact reduces racial prejudice under certain conditions. Then they tested their hypotheses with data from the General Social Survey. Thus, their research followed

A) the deductive logic of inquiry.
B) the inductive logic of inquiry.
C) neither the deductive nor the inductive logic of inquiry.
D) both deductive and inductive logic of inquiry.

Question 12

Contrary to their hypothesis, Dixon and Rosenbaum found that the social setting in which whites interacted with Blacks

A) had no effect on their racial stereotypes.
B) had no effect on anti-black stereotyping when whites had Black relatives.
C) increased anti-black stereotyping when whites knew Blacks from school.
D) reduced anti-black stereotyping when whites knew Blacks in the workplace.

Question 13

Lareau interviewed parents of third-grade children and observed families. Based on these data, she inferred several recurring class differences, from which she developed a theory of child rearing. Thus, her research followed

A) the deductive logic of inquiry.
B) the inductive logic of inquiry.
C) neither the deductive nor the inductive logic of inquiry.
D) both deductive and inductive logic of inquiry.

Question 14

In her study of child rearing, Lareau found that working-class parents were more apt than middle-class parents to

A) allow their children to play on their own.
B) reason and negotiate with their children.
C) support their children's participation in organized and supervised activities.
D) adopt the child-rearing strategy of concerted cultivation.

Question 15

When Durkheim tested psychological theories of suicide with data from official records, he used the _______ logic of inquiry; when he developed his own theory of suicide from the same data, he used the _______ logic of inquiry.

A) deductive; deductive
B) deductive; inductive
C) inductive; deductive
D) inductive; inductive

Question 16

Durkheim's study Suicide illustrates the limitations of scientific inquiry insofar as

A) subsequent research has disconfirmed all of his findings.
B) his theory of suicide has been shown to be inconsistent with his data.
C) its narrow focus on social causes appears to have been an attempt to legitimize the field of sociology.
D) his theory does not apply to suicide in the 21st century.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true of scientific theory?

A) Scientific theories can be proven logically.
B) There can be one and only one true theory of any social phenomenon.
C) Theories are less abstract than hypotheses.
D) Theories are tentative and subject to modification or disconfirmation.

Question 18

According to Box 2.3 in the text, claims of a replication or reproducibility crisis in social science have arisen because

A) insufficient information about the research procedures of many studies makes it impossible to replicate them.
B) many researchers refuse to share their data and materials with others.
C) attempted replications have failed to reproduce the main results of many social science experiments.
D) replications are seldom carried out.

Question 19

The principal goal of science is the development of theory.

Question 20

Science is based on verifiable data.

Question 21

Being "systematic" in collecting and analyzing data minimizes the influence of scientists' values and biases.

Question 22

Inferring that a person is rude based on three interactions with that person is an example of inductive reasoning.

Question 23

According to Box 2.2 in the text, in a valid deductive argument, if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true.

Question 24

According to Box 2.2 in the text, inductive arguments are either valid or invalid.

Question 25

The deductive logic of inquiry represents a bottom-up process, moving from data to empirical patterns to theory.

Question 26

In formulating a hypothesis from a theory, a researcher uses deductive logic.

Question 27

A limitation of the inductive logic of inquiry is that several theories may account for the same empirical patterns.

Question 28

The Hawthorne effect showed that research participants may change their behavior when they know they are being studied.

Question 29

Discoveries based on intuition or serendipity have no place in science.

Question 30

Through systematic observation, science eliminates the impact of the historical context on theory and research.

Question 31

The GSS misclassification of data on social isolation shows how the social sciences are less scientific than the natural sciences.

Question 32

Describe how Durkheim used both the deductive and inductive logics of inquiry in his study of suicide. Be sure to give specific details of the study as these relate to the key components of each logic.

Question 33

Below is an outline of a flowchart illustrating the scientific process. Fill in the boxes and then indicate whether each arrow in the diagram represents the application of deductive or inductive logic.

Question 34

Because of the human element in science, some scholars believe that it is impossible to detect and eliminate sources of bias in scientific inquiry. Present a rebuttal to this criticism. Be sure to point out how many biases and errors are identifiable and correctable because the nature of scientific inquiry enables its own critique.