Deck 8: Research With Non-Reactive Measures

Question 1

Use of official existing statistics raises ethical issues regarding

A)the fact that they are social and political products.
B)confidentiality.
C)discovery.
D)environmental loopholes.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Dr.Mottle is comparing data across two cities.If she adjusts the measures by a common base,she is

A)creative.
B)standardizing the information.
C)using ecological fallacy.
D)using topic understanding.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When measuring space in content analysis,a researcher

A)measures the size,volume,and amount of time or physical space.
B)does a topic analysis.
C)discusses the problem with another researcher.
D)does not use a coding system.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a limitation when using existing statistics?

A)timeliness of the input
B)reliability
C)validity
D)missing data

Question 5

Dr.Mottle is concerned that the information that was collected by one of the government agencies might have systematic errors in it,limiting the ______ of the information.

A)amount
B)reliability
C)validity
D)cost

Question 6

Which of the following are things a researcher would do to conduct a study with physical evidence?

A)Identify a physical evidence measure of a behavior of interest.
B)Compare the two variables of the hypothesis using quantitative data analysis.
C)Systematically record the physical evidence.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 7

What are the advantages of quantitative nonreactive research?

A)Researchers have control over the data collection methods.
B)It is less expensive.
C)It is often faster and easier to collect data.
D)It gives solid results.

Question 8

Topic knowledge can limit research because

A)the topic is sports-related.
B)the researcher may get a lot of data that may lead to false interpretation.
C)the researcher quotes statistics in excess detail.
D)the researcher uses a lower unit than s/he should use.

Question 9

Dr.Mottle is studying chiropractic journals to determine trends for the use of ultrasound in chiropractic practice.As she researches this topic,she is counting the number of times that "ultrasound" appears in written text.What type of coding is she most likely using?

A)manifest coding
B)latent coding
C)content coding
D)reliability coding

Question 10

If a researcher contemplates conduct of an existing statistics research study,it would be a good idea for him/her to talk with a(n)______ first.

A)physician
B)author
C)information professional
D)clergy member

Question 11

What is the first step in conducting content analysis research?

A)Formulate a research question.
B)Decide on units of analysis.
C)Draw a sample.
D)Create a coding system.

Question 12

Identify one limitation of content analysis.

A)researcher competence
B)coder's attitude
C)interpretation of the content's significance
D)definition of the details of the results

Question 13

What challenge(s)does a researcher face in doing existing statistics research?

A)the cost of data
B)turning variables into questions
C)the ability to locate participants
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 14

Social indicator is a measure of social conditions and

A)should be avoided in research.
B)can be used in policy decisions.
C)has no real use.
D)is generally meaningless to the public.

Question 15

Content analysis is useful for

A)topics studied at a distance.
B)anyone who wants to learn about research.
C)only social scientists.
D)small,intricate details.

Question 16

Content analysis cannot

A)determine the truthfulness of an assertion.
B)be the basis of research.
C)validate the researcher.
D)perform statistics of itself.

Question 17

In verifying data quality of existing statistics,Mr.Marsh discovers that the definition of "work injury" varies across different agencies and time.This is an example of

A)validity.
B)reliability.
C)topic understanding.
D)ecological fallacy.

Question 18

Secondary data analysis is similar to existing statistics research in that

A)the methods require an enormous vocabulary.
B)the researcher analyzes data that someone else collected.
C)no computers are required.
D)all work must be done covertly.

Question 19

Text appears in all communication media,including

A)books.
B)speeches.
C)films.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 20

A limitation to use of the General Social Survey is

A)lack of photos.
B)infrequent publication.
C)ways questions are worded.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 21

Coding (by assistants)is typically consistent so there is no need for measuring reliability.

Question 22

Why is content analysis considered a nonreactive research technique?

Question 23

Content analysis is useful in three research issues,why is it especially useful with topics studied at a distance?

Question 24

To make sure that assistant coders are consistent,a coder should

A)code the same text independent of one another.
B)not work with other coders.
C)circle errors and have other coders redo the work.
D)None of these answers are correct.

Question 25

Many measures in large bureaucratic organizations are social indicators.

Question 26

Content analysis is not done with visual material.

Question 27

Physical evidence

A)is direct and does not include bias.
B)measures a behavior or viewpoint of interest.
C)is the same as content analyses measures.
D)is part of all topic knowledge.

Question 28

Disadvantages of quantitative nonreactive research include possible limited control over how the data are collected and the data are very easy to interpret.

Question 29

When a researcher uses coding,s/he turns aspects of text content into quantitative variables.

Question 30

Creativity has no place in nonreactive research.

Question 31

Identify five characteristics of variables that are coded in text content.

Question 32

List four types of nonreactive quantitative research techniques.

Question 33

When a researcher uses excessive detail in expressing a number or statistics report to give the impression of scientific rigor,he may be adding information that is not accurate.For example,using 1,899,312 to express population in a city instead of using 1.9 million people.This data quality limitation is known as

A)reliability.
B)validity.
C)topic knowledge.
D)fallacy of misplaced concreteness.

Question 34

The Statistical Abstract of the United States contains large amounts of data;however,it is too much information for a researcher and should be avoided.

Question 35

People are not aware that they are being studied in nonreactive research.

Question 36

Privacy is not an issue in nonreactive data collection.

Question 37

Give two examples of content in the context of content analysis,i.e.words...

Question 38

The primary ethical concern of physical evidence analysis is

A)researcher's bias.
B)time for discussion.
C)privacy and confidentiality of data.
D)lack of research methodology.

Question 39

When a researcher quotes statistics in excessive detail,this limitation is called

A)topic understanding.
B)snowball theory.
C)fallacy of misplaced concreteness.
D)validity.

Question 40

A symbol can have complex,multilayered meanings and researchers must make qualitative judgments about how to code images.

Question 41

A limitation of ______ is that General Social Survey questions are worded differently than the researcher wishes.

Question 42

What is of most ethical concern when conducting physical evidence analysis?

Question 43

______ reliability is a measure of consistent measurements in content analysis across multiple coders.

Question 44

Content analysis is a(n)______ technique that lets a researcher explore both hidden and
visible content in communication messages.

Question 45

Give an example of the kinds of physical evidence that have been used in the past to create nonreactive measures of variables.

Question 46

Primary data research focuses on collecting data but secondary focuses on ______
analyzing data.

Question 47

An issue that occurs when a scientist quotes statistics in excessive detail is called a(n)______

Question 48

______ involves analyzing previously collected public data to answer new research questions.

Question 49

______ can only describe what is in the text and reveal patterns in it.

Question 50

______ problems develop when official definitions or methods of collecting information vary over time.

Question 51

The ______ is the single most valuable source of statistical information in the United States.

Question 52

What is the difference between manifest coding and latent coding?

Question 53

______ involves adjusting a measure by dividing it by a common base to make
comparison possible.

Question 54

To operationalize variables in content analysis,a researcher creates a(n)______ system.

Question 55

When government agencies stop collecting certain types of data,it can limit existing statistics and the data is then considered ______,one of the limitations of existing statistics research.

Question 56

When measuring space,the researcher measures size,volume,amount of time or ______
on a page.

Question 57

______ measures are measures that do not intrude or disturb a person,so the person is unaware of them.

Question 58

Give an example of a publicly available social indicator.

Question 59

The primary ethical concern of physical evidence analysis is to protect people's ______ and ______ of the data.

Question 60

A limitation of physical evidence measures is that they are indirect.What does this mean?

Question 61

Describe three limitations to content analysis.

Question 62

Compare and contrast manifest coding with latent coding.Which is more time consuming?

Question 63

Dr.Van Offer is using official existing statistics to support a theory that he has proposed.He has met the governor of the state where is research is being conducted and is very surprised when she calls and asks him to use the statistic in a different way that will not be "damaging" to her.
Discuss the ethical concerns in this incident and other nonreactive research.

Question 64

Why is intercoder reliability important? What can be done about it?

Question 65

Name and discuss five measurable characteristics of variables in content analysis.