Question 1

What does it mean for a sociologist to report provisional knowledge?

Accepted Answer

Reporting provisional knowledge means that the findings are subject to change with the discovery of new information. Sociologists understand that their findings are not absolute truths and are open to modifying their conclusions if new data arises.

Question 2

Qualitative data and quantitative data are examples of

Accepted Answer

Qualitative and quantitative data are both types of empirical evidence, meaning they are based on observations or experiences, and are used to support or refute scientific hypotheses or theories.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a role theory plays in the research process?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is NOT a...

Question 4

Suriya designed a study to see if study sessions increased her students' performance on exams. She assigned only half her class to participate in a study session before an exam. What kind of research is she conducting?

Accepted Answer

Suriya is conducting an experiment because she is manipulating one variable (the study session) and observing its effect on another variable (students' performance on exams). The fact that she is assigning only half of the class to participate in the study session indicates that she is using a treatment group and a control group to compare the differences in performance.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT one of the problems researchers face when conducting social research using human participants?

Accepted Answer

While research using existing data may provide more efficient results, it does not necessarily provide more valid results. In fact, using existing data can introduce biases and limit the researcher's ability to control variables. Therefore, this is not a problem researchers face when conducting social research with human participants.

Question 6

Rebekkah collected advertisements for beauty products from popular women's magazines. She systematically analyzed the images in order to study how gender was represented. What kind of research is she conducting?

Accepted Answer

Rebekkah is conducting a content analysis, which involves systematically analyzing and interpreting the content of a text, such as advertisements in women's magazines, in order to identify patterns or themes related to gender representation.

Question 7

The term that refers to scholars' gathering and evaluation of data is

Accepted Answer

Research methods refer specifically to the systematic gathering and evaluation of data in order to answer a research question or test a hypothesis. Field methods and applied/basic research are broader terms that could encompass various aspects of research beyond just the gathering and evaluation of data.

Question 8

Mahmoud found that unemployed young men are more likely to engage in deviant activities than employed young men. 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 case, "employment status" (which encompasses both unemployment and employment) is the variable being manipulated or considered to see its effect on deviant behaviors, making it the independent variable.

Question 9

The two key components of social research are theory and

Accepted Answer

Social research relies on both theory and data to explore social phenomena and make informed conclusions. Theory provides a framework for understanding social phenomena, while data provide evidence to support or refute theoretical claims. Therefore, data is a key component of social research. Patterns, transparency, and knowledge are important aspects of social research, but they are not the two key components.

Question 10

When completing her research on reasons couples make the decision to live together, Lavonne included a section in her report that described the data she collected and how she reached her conclusions. What aspect of social research is she conducting?

Accepted Answer

Lavonne is providing transparency in her methods by describing how she collected her data and reached her conclusions. This is an important aspect of social research as it allows others to understand and potentially replicate the study, as well as evaluate the validity and reliability of the results.

Question 11

What kind of research involves the analysis of data that one did not collect oneself?

Accepted Answer

Secondary data analysis involves analyzing data that was collected by someone else, such as data from public records, government agencies, or previous research studies.

Question 12

Amelie used data collected by the United States Census Bureau to study changes in family size over the past 100 years. What kind of research is she conducting?

Accepted Answer

Amelie is using existing data from the United States Census Bureau, which is a form of secondary data analysis. She is not conducting a survey or an experiment, and content analysis typically involves analyzing texts or media rather than numerical data.

Question 13

Garner is conducting a study on how students who live on campus eat. He asked participants to record where they ate each of their meals. He found that during the week he collected data, there was a large increase in the number of students eating in the dining hall when compared to the weeks before and after he conducted his study. With what phenomena should Garner be concerned in his findings?

Accepted Answer

The Hawthorne effect refers to a phenomenon where participants in a study modify their behavior simply because they are aware that they are being observed. In this case, the increase in students eating in the dining hall may be due to the fact that they knew they were being studied, rather than an actual change in their eating habits.

Question 14

Laud was interested in what type of men engaged in anonymous homosexual sex in public places. He spent time in a public bathroom where men engaged in sex with other men, and he secretly observed the types of men who visited the bathroom. What kind of research was he conducting?

Accepted Answer

Laud was engaging in field research by directly observing the behavior of individuals in a public bathroom.

Question 15

Which term is used for data that represent different values?

Accepted Answer

Variables are used to represent different values and are an essential component in data analysis and statistical modeling. A variable can take on various numerical or categorical values, which can be used to describe a specific event or phenomenon. On the other hand, facts represent information that is believed to be true, while samples and figures may refer to specific subsets of data or numerical values.

Question 16

Sammy noticed that her test grades were better when she attended classes. She decided to create a study to see if there was a relationship between class attendance and test performance. In what aspect of the social research process has Sammy engaged?

Accepted Answer

Sammy is observing patterns in her own life (noticing a correlation between her class attendance and test grades) and is considering studying this relationship further, which is the initial step in the social research process.

Question 17

The data collection method in which researchers evaluate information gathered from sources such as news articles, television shows, or magazine ads is called

Accepted Answer

Content analysis is the data collection method in which researchers evaluate information gathered from sources such as news articles, television shows, or magazine ads. Field research involves direct observation and interaction with people or events in a natural setting, a survey involves asking people a set of questions, and secondary data analysis involves using already existing data sets for research purposes.

Question 18

In what data collection technique does the researcher ask open-ended questions to participants and record their responses for analysis?

Accepted Answer

The technique described is an intensive interview, where the researcher asks open-ended questions to gather in-depth information from participants. Field research involves observing participants in their natural environment, experiments involve manipulating variables to test hypotheses, and surveys typically use closed-ended questions with pre-determined response options.

Question 19

Which term refers to when researchers share how they collected and analyzed their data?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which term refers to when researchers share...

Question 20

What data-gathering technique includes focus groups?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What data-gathering technique includes focus groups?
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Quiz 2: Understanding the Research Process