Question 1

What do the Milgram research (shock), Rosenthal and Jacobsen (teachers' expectations), and Humphreys (gay men) have in common?

Accepted Answer

All three studies involve ethical concerns. Milgram's study on obedience involved deceiving participants and subjecting them to psychological stress. Rosenthal and Jacobsen's study on teacher expectations could potentially influence the treatment of students based on perceived abilities, affecting their academic progress. Humphreys' study on gay men involved privacy invasion and deception, as he did not obtain informed consent from participants.

Question 2

__________ methods often rely on inductive and inferential reasoning to understand the texture of social life.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative methods focus on understanding the texture of social life through inductive and inferential reasoning, emphasizing the meanings, experiences, and views of participants.

Question 3

Sociological research

Accepted Answer

Sociological research often challenges and disproves common sense notions by providing empirical evidence that contradicts widely held beliefs. It uses systematic methods to collect and analyze data, showing that many assumptions about society and human behavior are incorrect.

Question 4

In the relationship between people's sex (male/female) and choice of major (sociology, architecture, nursing, physics, etc), sex is the

Accepted Answer

Sex is considered the independent variable because it is the variable that is presumed to influence or determine the choice of major, which would be the dependent variable in this context.

Question 5

What flaw did researcher Eric Turkheimer find in past studies of twins and intelligence?

Accepted Answer

Eric Turkheimer found that past studies of twins and intelligence often had a flaw in that they primarily included twins from middle-class backgrounds. This limited socioeconomic diversity could skew results and interpretations regarding the genetic and environmental influences on intelligence.

Question 6

Field researchers often use __________ , a method used by Anthropologists, who identify themselves as researchers and try to understand the world from the point of view of those they are studying.

Accepted Answer

Ethnography is a research strategy often used by anthropologists, involving the researcher immersing themselves in a community to study its culture, behaviors, and perspectives from an insider's viewpoint.

Question 7

Qualitative interview studies generally use what kind of sample?

Accepted Answer

Qualitative interview studies often aim for depth and detail in understanding a specific phenomenon, context, or group of individuals. Therefore, they typically use a small purposive sample, where participants are selected based on specific characteristics or criteria relevant to the research question, rather than aiming for a large or randomly selected sample. This approach allows researchers to gain deep insights into the experiences, opinions, or behaviors of the selected individuals.

Question 8

Quantitative analysis tends to use __________ reasoning, in which researchers figure out their results from demonstrable facts.

Accepted Answer

Deductive reasoning is used in quantitative analysis, where researchers start with a general theory or hypothesis and then test it through the collection and analysis of data to arrive at a conclusion.

Question 9

In research, the factor that is considered to be the cause or influence is a(n)

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in research is the factor that is manipulated or considered to be the cause or influence on another variable, known as the dependent variable.

Question 10

Researchers often use data from the General Social Survey (GSS), which has been studying Americans' attitudes and behaviors since 1972. Use of this resource is an example of

Accepted Answer

The General Social Survey (GSS) collects data on Americans' attitudes and behaviors, which researchers can analyze without collecting the data themselves. This is an example of secondary analysis, where researchers use data collected by others for their own analysis.

Question 11

Research occurring in its "natural" setting is

Accepted Answer

Research conducted in its "natural" setting refers to studies carried out in the field, where phenomena are observed in their real-life context rather than under controlled laboratory conditions.

Question 12

In observation research, we directly observe

Accepted Answer

In observation research, the focus is on directly observing and recording behaviors as they occur in their natural environment, without manipulating the study environment or the subjects being observed. This method does not directly observe attitudes, statistics, or personal values, as these are internal states or information that cannot be directly observed through behavior alone.

Question 13

Which of these research types typically includes ethnography, interviews, and field studies?

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research focuses on understanding concepts, thoughts, or experiences through methods such as ethnography, interviews, and field studies, which allow for in-depth exploration of subjects' perspectives and behaviors.

Question 14

Annie chooses a random sample of a neighborhood, every fifth block in a small town, and then attempts to include all the people on these blocks in her research. Annie's research is using a ________ sample.

Accepted Answer

Annie's research is using a cluster sample because she selects specific blocks (clusters) and includes all individuals within those blocks in her study.

Question 15

Regarding bias in social research,

Accepted Answer

Both qualitative and quantitative research methods can have biases. This is because biases can stem from the researcher's perspectives, the selection of research subjects, the design of the study, and the interpretation of data, among other factors, affecting both types of research.

Question 16

In the hypothesis, "children whose parents are married are more likely than those whose parents are divorced to have academic success and successful friendships, " what is the independent variable?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the dependent variable. In this hypothesis, the marital status of the parents (married vs. divorced) is the variable that is being changed to observe its effect on children's academic success and friendships, making it the independent variable.

Question 17

__________ research includes surveys and polls, and involves statistical analysis.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative research involves the collection and statistical analysis of data that can be quantified. Surveys and polls are common methods used in quantitative research to gather numerical data.

Question 18

In an investigation of how IQ affects students' grades in sociology class, the variables are

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the one that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the dependent variable. In this case, IQ is the variable being investigated to see its effect on the dependent variable, which is the students' grades in sociology class.

Question 19

Compared to other sciences' phenomena, such as gravity or particles, the phenomena examined in sociology

Accepted Answer

Sociological phenomena, because they involve human behavior and social structures, do not behave in exactly the same ways all the time. This variability is due to the complexity of human interactions and societal influences.

Question 20

The divide in sociological research is between what two forms of methodology?

Accepted Answer

Qualitative and quantitative methodologies represent the primary divide in sociological research approaches, focusing on non-numerical and numerical data, respectively.

Quiz 4: How Do We Know What We Know the Methods of the Sociologist

What do the Milgram research (shock) , Rosenthal and Jacobsen (teachers' expectations) , and Humphreys (gay men) have in common?