Question 1

If the association between two variables is accidental and not causal, what do we call the relationship between the two variables?
A) a connected relationship
B) an independent relationship
C) a dependent relationship
D) a spurious relationship

Accepted Answer

A spurious relationship occurs when two variables appear to be related to each other but are actually both influenced by a third variable, making the association between them accidental and not causal.

Question 2

Set up a research project in which you wish to determine the motivations for watching a popular television program. How would you conduct your research?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Set up a research project in which...

Question 3

A researcher is interested in the effect of violent media content on aggression. She is also interested to learn if men and women react identically to the same content. In this example, what type of variable is gender?
A) a connected variable
B) an independent variable
C) a dependent variable
D) a control variable

Accepted Answer

Gender is a control variable because it is a variable that is controlled for in the experiment. In this case, the researcher is interested in the effect of violent media content on aggression, and she wants to make sure that any differences in aggression between men and women are not due to differences in gender. Therefore, she controls for gender by making sure that the number of men and women in each group is equal.

Question 4

How does the inclusion of a control variable improve a researcher's interpretation of the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables?
A) It makes the variables change more systematically.
B) It prevents random relationships.
C) It specifies the quality of the relationship.
D) It provides context for this relationship.

Accepted Answer

Including a control variable helps in providing context for the relationship between the independent and dependent variables by accounting for additional factors that could influence the outcome, thus offering a clearer understanding of the primary relationship being studied.

Question 5

According to the textbook, why do researchers examine the effects of control variables?
A) because sequence matters
B) because relationships matter
C) because contamination matters
D) because context matters

Accepted Answer

Researchers examine the effects of control variables because context matters. Control variables help to isolate the relationship between the independent and dependent variables by accounting for other factors that might influence the outcome, thus providing a clearer understanding of the context in which the primary relationship occurs.

Question 6

Many organizations are now using the Internet and creating pools of respondents who are willing to answer polls and surveys online. Quite often, these people are rewarded with cash or gifts for their participation. Does this make you wonder about bias in polling and survey research? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many organizations are now using the Internet...

Question 7

Which research method places the most emphasis on understanding the members of a group from their own point of view?
A) unobtrusive measurement
B) survey research
C) the experiment
D) participant observation

Accepted Answer

Participant observation emphasizes understanding the members of a group from their own perspective because the researcher immerses themselves in the group's environment to observe and interact with them in their natural context.

Question 8

What kind of research is Statistics Canada's national census?
A) ethnographic research
B) survey research
C) experimental research
D) field study research

Accepted Answer

Statistics Canada's national census is an example of survey research because it involves collecting data from a large population using questionnaires to gather information on demographics, economic status, and other variables.

Question 9

Jeremy notes that when his nose gets cold, he is more likely to slip on the ice when leaving his apartment building. He decides to write a paper stating that there is an association between cold noses and falls. What kind of association does this example illustrate?
A) causal
B) independent
C) dependent
D) spurious

Accepted Answer

Jeremy's observation likely points to a spurious association, where two events (cold noses and slipping on ice) occur together due to a common third factor (cold weather) rather than one causing the other.

Question 10

A new university policy affects 20 000 students. A subset of 1000 students will be used to examine the effect on all of the students. Within sociological research, which of the following labels is given to the 20 000 students?
A) the social group
B) the sampling frame
C) the postsecondary community
D) the sociological sample

Accepted Answer

The 20,000 students represent the sampling frame, which is the larger group or population from which a sample (in this case, the subset of 1000 students) is drawn for the purpose of conducting research.

Question 11

If a relationship is spurious, what will occur?
A) It will appear when the control variable changes and when it is held constant.
B) It will appear when the control variable changes but disappear when it is held constant.
C) It will disappear when the control variable changes but appear when it is held constant.
D) It will disappear when the control third variable changes and when it is held constant.

Accepted Answer

A spurious relationship is one in which two variables appear to be related to each other but are actually both being influenced by a third variable. When the effect of this third variable (control variable) is accounted for or held constant, the apparent relationship between the two primary variables disappears.

Question 12

Gaitri has conducted a study on the relationship of education and income among Canadian residents. She finds that immigrants earn less than Canadian-born people with similar education. In this example, what kind of variable is "immigrant status"?
A) spurious
B) control
C) independent
D) dependent

Accepted Answer

"Immigrant status" is considered an independent variable because it is the variable that is presumed to affect or determine the outcome, which in this case is income level.

Question 13

If you used random-digit dialling of listed and unlisted residential numbers in your research, what part of the Canadian population would your sampling frame exclude?
A) the rich
B) young people who have mobile phones
C) the elderly who have land lines
D) the homeless

Accepted Answer

Random-digit dialing of residential numbers, both listed and unlisted, would not reach individuals without a fixed residence, such as the homeless, as it relies on the existence of a landline or registered mobile phone number associated with a residential address.

Question 14

Why did the 1960s feminists argue that most sociological research was gender-biased? Has this changed since?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why did the 1960s feminists argue that...

Question 15

What is the most common type of table for displaying survey data?
A) a contingency table
B) a statistical table
C) a sampling table
D) a response rate table

Accepted Answer

A contingency table is the most common type of table for displaying survey data because it allows for the analysis of the relationship between two or more categorical variables by displaying frequencies or percentages of responses.

Question 16

Describe the conditions that must be met in demonstrating causality.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the conditions that must be met...

Question 17

What kind of link exists between storks and babies in Scandinavia?
A) a time-ordered relationship
B) a controlled association
C) a causal relationship
D) a spurious association

Accepted Answer

The answer of What kind of link exists between storks...

Question 18

Income is not likely to be the cause of gender. Which test of causality is the relationship of these variables likely to fail?
A) authenticity test
B) non-spuriousness test
C) sequencing test
D) relationship test

Accepted Answer

The answer of Income is not likely to be the...

Question 19

Which of the following terms applies to a relationship between two variables that is not influenced by a third variable?
A) spurious
B) authentic
C) valid
D) reliable

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following terms applies to...

Question 20

Imagine that you have been asked to conduct a research study on Internet porn website usage by university students. What research method(s) would you use and why? Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of your selected research method(s).

Accepted Answer

The answer of Imagine that you have been asked to...

Quiz 2: How Sociologists Do Research

If the association between two variables is accidental and not causal, what do we call the relationship between the two variables?

Set up a research project in which you wish to determine the motivations for watching a popular television program. How would you conduct your research?

A researcher is interested in the effect of violent media content on aggression. She is also interested to learn if men and women react identically to the same content. In this example, what type of variable is gender?

How does the inclusion of a control variable improve a researcher's interpretation of the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables?

According to the textbook, why do researchers examine the effects of control variables?

Many organizations are now using the Internet and creating pools of respondents who are willing to answer polls and surveys online. Quite often, these people are rewarded with cash or gifts for their participation. Does this make you wonder about bias in polling and survey research? Why or why not?

Which research method places the most emphasis on understanding the members of a group from their own point of view?

What kind of research is Statistics Canada's national census?

Jeremy notes that when his nose gets cold, he is more likely to slip on the ice when leaving his apartment building. He decides to write a paper stating that there is an association between cold noses and falls. What kind of association does this example illustrate?

A new university policy affects 20 000 students. A subset of 1000 students will be used to examine the effect on all of the students. Within sociological research, which of the following labels is given to the 20 000 students?

If a relationship is spurious, what will occur?

Gaitri has conducted a study on the relationship of education and income among Canadian residents. She finds that immigrants earn less than Canadian-born people with similar education. In this example, what kind of variable is "immigrant status"?

If you used random-digit dialling of listed and unlisted residential numbers in your research, what part of the Canadian population would your sampling frame exclude?

Why did the 1960s feminists argue that most sociological research was gender-biased? Has this changed since?

What is the most common type of table for displaying survey data?

Describe the conditions that must be met in demonstrating causality.

What kind of link exists between storks and babies in Scandinavia?

Income is not likely to be the cause of gender. Which test of causality is the relationship of these variables likely to fail?

Which of the following terms applies to a relationship between two variables that is not influenced by a third variable?

Imagine that you have been asked to conduct a research study on Internet porn website usage by university students. What research method(s) would you use and why? Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of your selected research method(s).