Question 1

A researcher who is interested in beliefs about work and family arrangements believes that men and women are likely to hold different views on the subject. Analyzing data from the General Social Survey, she finds that men are in fact much more likely to believe that "It is much better for everyone involved if the man is the achiever outside the home and the woman takes care of the home and family." This researcher is using respondents' gender as the:
A) independent variable
B) control variable
C) dependent variable
D) intervening variable

Accepted Answer

The researcher is using respondents' gender as the independent variable because it is the variable that is being manipulated or categorized to observe its effect on beliefs about work and family arrangements.

Question 2

In the above example, the beliefs about gendered family arrangements as the:
A) independent variable
B) control variable
C) dependent variable
D) intervening variable

Accepted Answer

The beliefs about gendered family arrangements are likely being measured as an outcome or effect, making them the dependent variable.

Question 3

A researcher analyzed two variables from the General Social Survey, RINCOM06 (respondents' personal income) and DEGREE (respondents' highest degree), and found that higher levels of personal income are associated with higher levels of educational attainment. Based on this finding, the relationship between personal income and education is best described as having:
A) a positive correlation
B) a negative correlation
C) no real correlation
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

A positive correlation indicates that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases, which aligns with the finding that higher income is associated with higher educational attainment.

Question 4

A person who believes that the differences we see between African Americans and whites in the US are largely a result of social processes and structures, such as segregation, prejudice and discrimination, can be described as holding a(n) ____________ perspective on racial-ethnic differences.
A) essentialist
B) social constructionist
C) statistical

Accepted Answer

A social constructionist perspective emphasizes that racial and ethnic differences are shaped by social processes and structures, rather than being inherent or biologically determined.

Question 5

A researcher hypothesizes that, in the US, African American men tend to be more egalitarian in their beliefs about work and family compared to white men. He analyzes data from the GSS and finds support for this hypothesis. In this situation, what is the researcher's independent variable?
A) racial group
B) gender
C) beliefs about work and family
D) social class

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the one that is manipulated or categorized to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the racial group (African American vs. white) is the independent variable used to examine differences in beliefs about work and family.

Question 6

In this situation described above, what is the researcher's dependent variable?
A) racial group
B) gender
C) beliefs about work and family
D) social class

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome that the researcher is trying to measure or explain, which in this case is "beliefs about work and family."

Question 7

A researcher is interested in how race-, gender-, and class-based statuses work together to structure individuals' personal income. In this situation, the researcher is using personal income as the:
A) independent variable
B) control variable
C) dependent variable
D) intervening variable

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome or factor that the researcher is trying to explain or predict, which in this case is personal income. The researcher is examining how race, gender, and class influence personal income, making it the dependent variable.

Question 8

In arguing that race-, gender-, and class-based statuses work together to structure individuals' personal income. The researcher is emphasizing:
A) an essentialist perspective on difference and inequality
B) intersecting systems of inequality
C) the limitations of secondary data analysis
D) none of the above

Accepted Answer

The researcher is emphasizing intersecting systems of inequality, which refers to how race, gender, and class interact to affect individuals' experiences and outcomes, such as personal income.

Question 9

A researcher analyzes data from the General Social Survey and finds that individuals' with high personal incomes tend to be happier than individuals' with low personal incomes. He is not sure, however, whether it is happiness that increases the likelihood of individuals' financial well-being, whether financial well-being brings about greater happiness. The best way to describe the researcher's finding is:
A) The researcher has found an intersectional relationship between happiness and personal income.
B) The researcher has found a causal relationship between happiness and personal income.
C) The researcher has found a correlation between happiness and personal income.
D) The researcher has found a spurious relationship between happiness and personal income.

Accepted Answer

The researcher has identified a correlation, which means there is a relationship between happiness and personal income, but it does not imply causation or the direction of the relationship.

Question 10

According to Harnois' Analyzing Inequalities, social justice statistics are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:
A) Conceptualizing differences and inequalities as largely socially constructed
B) Drawing links between the individuals and the broader society
C) Focusing on issues of power and inequality
D) All of the above are characteristics of social justice statistics

Accepted Answer

All of the options A, B, and C are characteristics of social justice statistics, so none of them is an exception.

Quiz 1: An Introduction to Analyzing Inequalities

In the above example, the beliefs about gendered family arrangements as the:

A person who believes that the differences we see between African Americans and whites in the US are largely a result of social processes and structures, such as segregation, prejudice and discrimination, can be described as holding a(n) ____________ perspective on racial-ethnic differences.

A researcher hypothesizes that, in the US, African American men tend to be more egalitarian in their beliefs about work and family compared to white men. He analyzes data from the GSS and finds support for this hypothesis. In this situation, what is the researcher's independent variable?

In this situation described above, what is the researcher's dependent variable?

A researcher is interested in how race-, gender-, and class-based statuses work together to structure individuals' personal income. In this situation, the researcher is using personal income as the:

In arguing that race-, gender-, and class-based statuses work together to structure individuals' personal income. The researcher is emphasizing:

According to Harnois' Analyzing Inequalities, social justice statistics are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT: