Deck 2: Research Foundations: Linking Sociological Theory to Research

Question 1

Sociologists model social life with three levels that move from specificity to abstraction.Which words represent these levels,in order from the widest point of the triangle to the narrowest?

A)guess;hunch;theory
B)describe;explain;explore
C)theoretical;empirical;sociological
D)macro;meso;micro

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following accurately describes the focus of the macro level of social life?

A)the structure,composition,and processes of society
B)the continuum between the individual and society
C)physical settings and organizations that link individuals to the larger society
D)face-to-face interaction and small group processes

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Amy applies status characteristics theory to student government at her university.This theory predicts that student government officials gain power and prestige when

A)they earn high honors in other areas of university life,such as athletics or academics.
B)their race,gender,and social class characteristics are highly valued in the broader society.
C)other student government officials endow them with titles,resources,and recognition.
D)they demonstrate a strong individual work ethic.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which approach to research refers to the translation of general theory into specific empirical analysis?

A)inductive
B)deductive
C)macro
D)meso

Question 5

Which of the following activities demonstrates empiricism?

A)observing and counting people who use cell phones while walking through a park
B)reflecting on the reasons why people use technology in the ways that they do
C)reading expert opinions about appropriate technology use
D)relying on common sense to make personal choices about cell phone use while walking

Question 6

Which step of the scientific method demonstrates empiricism?

A)Step 1
B)Step 2
C)Step 3
D)Step 5

Question 7

Which basic question about social phenomena is asked by the structural functionalism paradigm?

A)Does it maximize benefits relative to cost?
B)Does it give some groups advantages over others?
C)Does it promote stability of society?
D)How does it play out in face-to-face interaction?

Question 8

A sociological theory must

A)link together a series of ideas that make an argument.
B)draw a conclusion that has predictive value.
C)show an earlier theory to be false.
D)elaborate upon unverified hunches or guesses.

Question 9

Miko tests status characteristics theory by documenting how dentists distribute resources and credentials through educational and professional associations.This study reveals new insights that influence the development of this theory.Which part of this scholarly process represents an inductive approach to science?

A)suspecting that status characteristics theory could be improved
B)testing theory with an empirical study
C)conducting a literature review before collecting data
D)applying research findings to the refinement of theory

Question 10

Auguste Comte's view of social science as a study of patterns that can be objectively understood through logical analysis is known as

A)postmodernism.
B)deduction.
C)positivism.
D)structural functionalism.

Question 11

A broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions about how social reality is to be defined is

A)a paradigm.
B)the macro level of social life.
C)part of the continuum of abstraction.
D)the scientific method.

Question 12

________ approaches move from the concrete to the abstract;________ approaches move from the abstract to the concrete.

A)Meso;macro
B)Scientific;empirical
C)Explanatory;exploratory
D)Inductive;deductive

Question 13

Megan develops a sociological study that describes how caregivers give meaning to their experiences with vulnerable loved ones.Megan includes reflection on her own life experiences,because she believes her own experiences shape how she collects and interprets data.Megan's approach fits with which paradigm?

A)empiricism
B)positivism
C)conflict
D)postmodernism

Question 14

Thomas Kuhn's ideas about paradigms and paradigm shifts show that

A)scientists are predisposed to prefer certain theories.
B)inductive approaches are superior to deductive approaches.
C)scientists must choose whether to be objective or biased.
D)science will eventually result in a single view of social reality.

Question 15

Mark Regnerus and Andrew Cherlin disagreed about the meaning of trends regarding marriage.If they used the same paradigms to look at terrorism,how might their perspectives differ? Regnerus would likely look at ________;Cherlin would likely look at ________.

A)individual motivations (micro level);global economic and political factors (macro level)
B)communities (meso level);families (micro level)
C)explanations of behavior;descriptions of trends
D)postmodern subjectivities;positivist conclusions

Question 16

Kokimo uses Thomas Kuhn's ideas about paradigms to study success in the Olympics.Kuhn's framework leads her to notice that

A)outstanding Olympic winners have statistically unusual biology and anatomy.
B)Americans see success as an individual achievement,whereas the Japanese emphasize the role of the community.
C)gender,race,and social class influence athletic success.
D)an inductive approach will yield better results than a deductive approach.

Question 17

Annette Lareau's inductive approach to studying social class and child-rearing meant that she

A)observed how parents interacted with their children,and then developed theories regarding child-rearing.
B)used the most credible theories of social class to develop a general argument about child-rearing.
C)relied only on empirical data.
D)developed a study that would test the credibility of dominant theories about social class and child-rearing.

Question 18

Larry records all of his dreams in a journal for 50 years.From time to time,he looks them over to see if he notices any personal growth over time.A sociologist would call Larry's approach

A)the scientific method.
B)the looking-glass self.
C)dust-bowl empiricism.
D)status characteristics theory.

Question 19

The meso level of social life is associated with which example?

A)Officer Amy,an individual police officer
B)the national government of France
C)Auburn Elementary School
D)the incarcerated population of the United States

Question 20

Eli is a family life educator and wants to intervene at the micro level to influence the issue of domestic violence.What should Eli do?

A)lobby at the federal level for new legislation
B)counsel a family affected by domestic violence
C)review available data regarding domestic violence in a particular zip code
D)reflect on his own attitudes and past experience with this issue

Question 21

Megan conducts a study that tests the following hypothesis: "Frequency of posting online comments varies by gender,such that men comment more often than women." This statement is a

A)null hypothesis.
B)hypothesis of difference.
C)hypothesis of association.
D)causal hypothesis.

Question 22

Which of the following represents a sociological view of grand theory?

A)As a discipline matures,one grand theory becomes dominant.All sociologists will eventually use the same theory.
B)Several grand theories ought to be active at any time in the discipline,because society is too complex to fully understand from one vantage point.
C)All grand theories have some value,but rational choice theory is the most objective theory,encompassing the partial insights of the others.
D)Some sociologists work with grand theories,while others are strictly empiricist and work only with data.

Question 23

Critical race theory is part of the conflict paradigm because it

A)looks primarily at the meso level of society.
B)describes how racial inequality serves to stabilize society.
C)questions why some races are advantaged over others.
D)looks for rationality and choice behind racial dynamics in society.

Question 24

Nikolas wants to study childhood nutrition.He decides to measure diet with a set of five survey questions that parents fill out on behalf of their children.In this decision,Nikolas has completed what task?

A)conceptualization
B)operationalization
C)inferring causation
D)disproving the null hypothesis

Question 25

Concepts such as socialization,deviance,and self-control can be linked to explain crime.When concepts are systematically linked in such a way that they generate an explanatory chain of relations,they become a(n)

A)set of conceptual relations.
B)theory.
C)paradigm shift.
D)hypothesis.

Question 26

Francis plans a study that applies rational choice theory to romantic relationships.He interviews individuals about how they chose their romantic partners and why they persist in the relationship over time.Using rational choice theory to interpret data,he concludes that

A)interpersonal conflict can be reduced with certain communication strategies.
B)though it feels like love,individuals are actually making decisions that maximize self-interest.
C)romance is a matter of the heart,so it doesn't reflect social patterns.
D)romantic couples develop a shared set of symbols that,when used over time,strengthen the relationship.

Question 27

In a study of family process,a sociologist finds that the relation between poverty and childhood problems is influenced by parental support.When parents provide strong support,poor children's problems are less numerous and less severe.The three concepts are poverty,childhood problems,and parental support.Which category of relations within a theory best describes these findings?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 28

The goal in research involving a hypothesis is to

A)prove the hypothesis.
B)disprove the null hypothesis.
C)infer an empirical hypothesis.
D)test hypotheses without expecting to prove or disprove them.

Question 29

When a researcher conceptualizes an idea,she has

A)narrowed her topic down to something that can result in a successful study.
B)researched the other relevant studies already completed in this area of inquiry.
C)turned an idea into a variable.
D)linked the idea to a set of procedures for measuring it.

Question 30

Because it is so difficult to establish causality,researchers more often focus on ________ than attempting to test a ________.

A)hypotheses of association;causal hypothesis
B)empiricism;theory
C)the null hypothesis;hypothesis of difference
D)qualitative research;quantitative hypothesis

Question 31

Liam wants to investigate the human experience of love.He asks his sociology adviser whether it is possible to use social science to study something as subjective as love.What advice does Liam's adviser offer that reflects a standard sociological view?

A)Focus instead on behaviors or social patterns that relate to love,but not love itself.
B)Develop a concept that names,defines,and measures love,and then sociological research can proceed.
C)Try a psychology class instead,because phenomena such as love,despair,or joy can only be studied adequately by psychologists.
D)Focus on something more sociologically significant,such as social conflict or inequality.

Question 32

Devon conducts a study that tests the following hypothesis: "If hours of sleep increase,student grades will increase." This statement is a

A)null hypothesis.
B)hypothesis of difference.
C)hypothesis of association.
D)causal hypothesis.

Question 33

Steve studies happiness in romantic relationships.He conducted a study in which he expected a positive relationship between happiness and time spent together.Instead,he found a concept relation of spuriousness. What is the confound?

A)flaws in Steve's research method education,which resulted in Steve committing errors and producing incorrect results
B)unemployment,because this affects both happiness and time spent together
C)grand theory,because the choice of grand theory influences data interpretation
D)negative relations,because the positive relation didn't work out as Steve expected

Question 34

Lisa looks for relations among concepts such as political engagement,region,and educational level.She expects to find

A)a new set of relations between concepts,because each study presents new possibilities for relations.
B)relations that fall within the five general sets of relations among concepts.
C)that political engagement is too complex,so it cannot be conceptualized.
D)mediation,because mediation is by far the most common relation among concepts.

Question 35

An idea that can be named,defined,and eventually measured in some way is a(n)

A)empirical unit.
B)concept.
C)theory.
D)face.

Question 36

Michelle conducts a study of sleep and college student stress.She expects a negative relation between the concepts,which means she expects to find

A)no relationship between sleep and stress.
B)that when sleep increases,stress decreases.
C)that when sleep decreases,stress decreases.
D)that both sleep and stress are sources of negativity in the lives of college students.

Question 37

Structural functionalism and conflict paradigms are more often criticized for neglecting ________;symbolic interaction is criticized for ignoring ________.

A)individuals;social structures
B)macro issues;meso issues
C)empiricism;the scientific method
D)inequality;social construction

Question 38

Which interpretation of these data represents a structural functionalist approach?

A)Increasing the population's educational attainment helps society because a more educated population is more economically productive.
B)Those who access higher education gain more of society's social rewards.
C)Higher education results in credentialism,stratification of people based on degree rather than skill.
D)Trends in higher education must be distinguished by race,class,and gender in order to understand their effects on social inequality.

Question 39

A hypothesis is a ________ statement of a(n)________ between two concepts.

A)quantitative;correlation
B)reasonable;empirical
C)testable;relationship
D)null;association

Question 40

Which of the following is a variable?

A)the general theory of crime
B)the statement that "When unemployment rates increase,crime increases."
C)the number of illegal activities in which a person has engaged over the last year
D)a high degree of confidence that political exclusion causes crime

Question 41

In contrast with other ways of reading,a literature review involves a particularly ________ reading of the body of theory and evidence surrounding a topic.

A)discipline-specific
B)narrow
C)exhaustive
D)systematic

Question 42

Juan wants to study the relationship between economic inequality and political extremism,with economic inequality as the independent variable.Which of the following is a proper hypothesis?

A)How does economic inequality influence political extremism?
B)Economic inequality leads to political extremism.
C)Political extremism leads to economic inequality.
D)What is the relationship between economic inequality and political extremism?

Question 43

When conducting a literature review,the researcher is looking for

A)holes-that is,particular aspects of the topic that are relatively unexplored.
B)mistakes-that is,errors made by previous researchers that could be corrected.
C)causation-that is,the root causes of the topic under investigation.
D)sparks-that is,new and exciting areas of inquiry that light up the researcher's interest.

Question 44

Give an example of an abstract concept.List three different variables that might be used to capture this concept,and explain why you chose these variables.

Question 45

This figure describes the relations between variables in a causal hypothesis.1 refers to ________ variable;2 refers to ________ variable.

A)dependent;independent
B)cause;effect
C)independent;dependent
D)effect;cause

Question 46

"Does texting while driving increase the likelihood of an accident?" is a question.Convert this question into a hypothesis.State the independent variable.State the dependent variable.

Question 47

Describe why a literature review is important,and offer three pieces of advice for conducting a successful literature review.Explain each piece of advice with a sentence or two.

Question 48

Linda hypothesizes that increasing wealth does not increase happiness.In this hypothesis,what is the independent variable?

A)Linda's influence on study participants
B)happiness
C)wealth
D)Wealth and happiness are both independent variables.

Question 49

Professor Flaeger hypothesizes that when college students participate in local service activities,their views toward human rights are strengthened.In this hypothesis,what is the dependent variable?

A)service activities
B)human rights attitudes
C)The dependent variable cannot be identified until data is analyzed.
D)the positive relation between the two parts of the hypothesis

Question 50

Why would a scholar generate an annotated bibliography?

A)to record brief descriptions of each text and relevant reactions to it
B)as a comprehensive collection of full texts of all citations
C)as a collection of the full and exact abstracts of all citations
D)as an imperfect substitute for reading the articles fully

Question 51

Positivism attempts to make the social sciences more like the natural sciences.Is positivism a worthy goal for the social sciences? Does it work?

Question 52

List and describe three characteristics of symbolic interactionism that make it distinct from the other major paradigms (structural functionalism,conflict,and rational choice).

Question 53

Using an example,distinguish between mediation,moderation,and spuriousness.

Question 54

Terrorism is an important issue facing the world today.If you were developing a sociological study of terrorism,would you develop a macro study or a micro study? Choose one,and justify it as the superior approach for this topic.

Question 55

Lisa uses her library's academic search engine to begin a literature review about autism in Hawaii.She finds 200 sources,and reads the brief descriptions of content that are found just after the article title,but before the main body of text begins.Lisa is reading

A)summaries.
B)abstracts.
C)introductions.
D)annotations.

Question 56

Compare and contrast inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning.Offer two points of comparison and two points of contrast.

Question 57

In mediation,a new variable may be introduced that links the independent variable to the dependent variable.This new "connecting variable" is called a(n)________ variable.

A)null
B)moderating
C)underlying
D)intervening