Question 1

One of the most frequently employed sources of existing statistics is/are the
A) US Census Bureau.
B) FBI Uniform Crime Reports.
C) Bureau of Labor Statistics.
D) National Center for Health Statistics.
E) Department of Education.

Accepted Answer

The US Census Bureau is one of the most frequently used sources for existing statistics, providing comprehensive data on the population, economy, and various social indicators in the United States.

Question 2

If a researcher collects original data for her own purposes,she is relying on_____to study a research question.
A) secondary data
B) primary data
C) the scientific method
D) available data
E) in depth interviews

Accepted Answer

Primary data refers to data that is collected by the researcher for the specific purpose of answering their research question. This is in contrast to secondary data, which is existing data that is not collected by the researcher themselves. Therefore, if a researcher is collecting their own original data, they are using primary data to study their research question.

Question 3

A major advantage of using available data is that data are usually
A) cheap and convenient.
B) not requiring IRB and informed consent.
C) life stories and qualitatively analyzed.
D) unburdened by ethical concerns.
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

Available data, such as data collected from government agencies or public databases, are often inexpensive or free to access and convenient to use. This can save researchers time and resources compared to collecting their own data through surveys or experiments.

Question 4

Statistics that have been made into statistical documents are called
A) available data.
B) secondary data.
C) summary statistics.
D) existing statistics.
E) primary data.

Accepted Answer

Existing statistics refer to data that have already been collected and compiled into documents or reports, making them readily available for analysis.

Question 5

The unit of analysis for studies based on secondary analysis is almost always
A) individuals.
B) households.
C) groups.
D) statistics.
E) researchers.

Accepted Answer

Secondary analysis involves using data that have already been collected by other researchers or organizations. These data typically include information about individuals (such as demographic characteristics or behaviors), which serves as the unit of analysis for the secondary study. While it is possible to conduct secondary analysis on data that have been aggregated to a higher level (such as households or groups), this is less common.

Question 6

Professor Smithson is interested in learning which radio stations people really listen to.He has asked auto mechanics to record the stations that were tuned in when individuals bring their cars in for repair.This is an example of
A) an erosion measure.
B) a Nielson rating.
C) an accretion measure.
D) none of these
E) the ecological fallacy.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an accretion measure, because Professor Smithson is collecting data on what radio stations people actually listen to based on the cars that are brought in for repair. It is not a Nielson rating, which is a more formal and comprehensive survey of radio listenership, and it is not an erosion measure, which involves observing a declining trend or phenomenon over time. The ecological fallacy refers to drawing incorrect conclusions about individuals based on data collected on a group level, which is not relevant in this scenario.

Question 7

Usable secondary data can be found by
A) doing a literature review.
B) searching the Internet.
C) collecting it yourself.
D) doing a literature review or searching the Internet.
E) searching the Internet or collecting it yourself.

Accepted Answer

Both doing a literature review and searching the Internet can provide usable secondary data. Collecting data yourself would be considered primary data.

Question 8

The US Commission on Immigrant Reform made the conclusion that El Paso's overall crime and homicide rates were much lower than those in cities of comparable size.This supported the belief that migrants don't commit more crimes,and particularly more homicides,than nonmigrants.What was wrong with these findings?
A) The researchers had issues with validity.
B) The researchers had issues with reliability.
C) The researchers didn't compare enough cities.
D) The researchers committed the ecological fallacy.
E) The researchers didn't interview both migrants and nonmigrants.

Accepted Answer

The researchers committed the ecological fallacy by making conclusions about the individuals (migrants vs nonmigrants) based on the group (El Paso's overall crime rates). Crime rates are affected by many different factors including socioeconomic status, education level, and cultural norms, so it's not appropriate to make conclusions about a specific group based solely on crime rates in one city.

Question 9

Letters,emails,Twitter feeds,and autobiographies are included in
A) library records.
B) tertiary data.
C) personal records.
D) archives.
E) units of analysis.

Accepted Answer

Personal records are documents and materials that are kept by individuals, rather than by institutions or organizations. Letters, emails, Twitter feeds, and autobiographies would all be considered personal records.

Question 10

Secondary data is
A) the data that the same researcher collects at a different point in time.
B) data that has been collected by someone else.
C) data that is not useful to the researcher.
D) data that the same researcher collects at a different point in time and data that is not useful to the researcher.
E) none of these.

Accepted Answer

Secondary data refers to data that has been collected by someone else, rather than being collected by the researcher themselves.

Question 11

In the focal research,Martinez and Lee avoided the ecological fallacy by
A) using the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.
B) interviewing immigrants that live in Miami.
C) interviewing the police departments to learn about their experiences with crime among immigrants.
D) using the "homicide logs" of the Miami police department.
E) collecting primary data.

Accepted Answer

Martinez and Lee avoided the ecological fallacy by using detailed "homicide logs" from the Miami police department, which provided specific data on individual cases rather than relying on aggregated data that could lead to incorrect inferences about individuals.

Question 12

Emile Durkheim's classic study on suicide is based on
A) qualitative interviews.
B) secondary data analysis.
C) field research.
D) qualitative interviews and field research.
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

Durkheim's study on suicide was primarily based on secondary data analysis, which involved examining official records and statistics on suicide rates in different populations. He did not conduct any qualitative interviews or field research for this study.

Question 13

What is the dependent variable in the focal research by Martinez and Lee?
A) rates of immigration
B) ethnic backgrounds of immigrants
C) employment
D) homicide
E) immigrant victimization

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in the research by Martinez and Lee is homicide, as their study focuses on examining how various factors, including immigration, might influence homicide rates.

Question 14

If we examined the extent of wear and tear in carpeting in a museum to study the popularity of exhibits,we would be employing
A) the floor wear index.
B) an erosion measure.
C) an accretion measure.
D) a reliable variable.
E) the ecological fallacy.

Accepted Answer

An erosion measure is a type of indirect observation where the wear and tear on objects, like carpeting, is used to infer the popularity or usage of a space.

Question 15

Secondary data are frequently contrasted with
A) primary data.
B) existing statistics.
C) available data.
D) aggregate data.
E) both available data and aggregate data.

Accepted Answer

Secondary data refer to data that have already been collected by someone else, such as from government reports, market research studies, or previous research studies. Primary data, on the other hand, are data collected directly by the researcher for the specific research project at hand. Therefore, secondary data are often contrasted with primary data.

Question 16

In general,the________in studies based on existing statistics is not the individual.
A) unit of observation
B) unit of analysis
C) rate
D) proportion
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

The unit of analysis is the main focus of the study, and in studies based on existing statistics, the unit of analysis is typically a group or population rather than an individual. The unit of observation refers to the entity or data source from which data is collected, while rate and proportion are measures of frequency or occurrence.

Question 17

_____data is collected by the researcher and_____data is collected by someone other than the researcher.
A) Internal; external
B) External; internal
C) Primary; secondary
D) Secondary; primary
E) Primary; external

Accepted Answer

Primary data is collected directly by the researcher for a specific research purpose, while secondary data is collected by someone else and used by the researcher.

Question 18

In some cases,people misleadingly make inferences about certain types of individuals from information about groups that might not be exclusively composed of those individuals.What is this called?
A) rapport
B) non-correlation
C) ecological fallacy
D) vraisemblance
E) measurement error

Accepted Answer

This is called the ecological fallacy, where inferences are made about individuals based on group-level data. It is important to avoid this fallacy and to always consider individual-level data rather than relying solely on group-level information.

Question 19

The unit of analysis used in the United Nations Demographic Yearbook and the International Labor Office is the
A) individual.
B) state.
C) county.
D) city.
E) nation.

Accepted Answer

The United Nations Demographic Yearbook and the International Labor Office both deal with demographic statistics at the national level, meaning the unit of analysis used is the nation.

Question 20

_______is/are statistics provided by large organizations.
A) Secondary statistics
B) The U.S. Census
C) Existing statistics
D) The General Social Survey
E) Units of analysis

Accepted Answer

The answer of _______is/are statistics provided by large organizations.
A) Secondary...

Quiz 12: Using Available Data

One of the most frequently employed sources of existing statistics is/are the

If a researcher collects original data for her own purposes,she is relying on_____to study a research question.

A major advantage of using available data is that data are usually

Statistics that have been made into statistical documents are called

The unit of analysis for studies based on secondary analysis is almost always

Professor Smithson is interested in learning which radio stations people really listen to.He has asked auto mechanics to record the stations that were tuned in when individuals bring their cars in for repair.This is an example of

Usable secondary data can be found by

Letters,emails,Twitter feeds,and autobiographies are included in

Secondary data is

In the focal research,Martinez and Lee avoided the ecological fallacy by

Emile Durkheim's classic study on suicide is based on

What is the dependent variable in the focal research by Martinez and Lee?

If we examined the extent of wear and tear in carpeting in a museum to study the popularity of exhibits,we would be employing

Secondary data are frequently contrasted with

In general,the________in studies based on existing statistics is not the individual.

_data is collected by the researcher and_data is collected by someone other than the researcher.

In some cases,people misleadingly make inferences about certain types of individuals from information about groups that might not be exclusively composed of those individuals.What is this called?

The unit of analysis used in the United Nations Demographic Yearbook and the International Labor Office is the

_______is/are statistics provided by large organizations.