103. The major disadvantage of content analysis as a method is
a. that the cultural artifact has already been produced.
b. that it is unobtrusive.
c. that it cannot tell us how people respond to the content.
d. that it is susceptible to the Hawthorne effect.
104. For what types of research questions is oral history particularly useful?
a. For understanding how social groups are perceived over time
b. For discovering what factors motivate people to behave in certain ways
c. For learning the history of groups that have been ignored or misrepresented
d. For visualizing changes in the population over time
105. Research to learn what educational practices work best so as to improve how public schools are run would be
an example of _____.
a. policy research
b. qualitative research
c. historical research
d. program assessment
106. Being completely objective while conducting research is probably not possible. Which of these influences a
sociologist’sresearchresults?
a. The subject
b. The research question
c. The research design
d. All of these influence the findings.
107. Being completely objective while conducting research is impossible. Therefore, most sociologists
a. do not even attempt objectivity.
b. claim to be value-free and avoid the issue of objectivity.
c. do not claim to be value-free, but try to produce objective research.
d. try to be ethical even if they do not actually do it.
108. Sociologists have trouble being value free because of
a. social pressures.
b. personal values.
c. deception by the researcher.
d. the media.
109. Only after an experiment is completed are the research subjects told what the purpose of the experiment
was. When they are told, it is called _____.
a. clarifying
b. debriefing
c. an exit interview
d. making a deposition
110. Today, care is taken to protect the subjects of sociological research. Which of these statements about ethics in
sociology is false?
a. The U.S. government does not play a role in protecting the subjects of research.
b. The American Sociological Association has developed a professional code of ethics.
c. Research subjects must be informed of the rights and responsibilities of the researcher and the subject.
d. Sociologists should not involve people in research without their informed consent.
111. Any type of sociological method may be used to answer any type of research question.
a. True
b. False
112. There is both art and science involved in doing sociological research.
a. True
b. False
113. All social science research begins by developing a research question.
a. True
b. False
114. Quantitative research is based on direct observation.
a. True
b. False
115. There are reasons that a sociologist may want to repeat or replicate a study previously done by someone else.
a. True
b. False
116. Sociologists avoid reading other studies about the same topic they are studying so as to avoid bias in their own
research.
a. True
b. False
117. Any information that is found published on the web may be trusted as a valid source for sociological research.
a. True
b. False
118. Sociology is a science because it uses the scientific method and strives to be empirical.
a. True
b. False
119. The research design determines the research question.
a. True
b. False
120. Replication of previous results is a necessary step for new research.
a. True
b. False
121. Quantitative research is less structured than qualitative research.
a. True
b. False
122. All sociological research follows the model of hypothesis testing.
a. True
b. False
123. Only concepts that may be observed directly are open to measurement.
a. True
b. False
124. It is possible for a variable to be reliable but not valid at the same time.
a. True
b. False
125. If every time a test is given the results are dramatically different, this is an indication that the test is not reliable.
a. True
b. False
126. A literature review is not required when a researcher is using primary research.
a. True
b. False
127. All concepts require indicators.
a. True
b. False
128. Covert participatory observation allows researchers to avoid the Hawthorne effect.
a. True
b. False
129. When one person collects data and a second person uses their data, the second person is using primary data.
a. True
b. False
130. Open-ended questions are most likely to be analyzed qualitatively.
a. True
b. False
131. The findings that result from a study of a larger sample will always be more generalizable than those from the
study of a smaller sample.
a. True
b. False
132. Serendipity is unimportant to empirical research.
a. True
b. False
133. A low return rate for a survey is likely to result in findings that are not generalizable to the entire population.
a. True
b. False
134. All sociological research methods are equally able to establish cause and effect.
a. True
b. False
135. One disadvantage of participant observation is the risk of the researcher “going native.”
a. True
b. False
136. An advantage of doing participant observation research is that it is very easy fast.
a. True
b. False
137. Covert participant observation requires a focus on small groups.
a. True
b. False
138. The method best suited for determining cause and effect is the controlled experiment.
a. True
b. False
139. In content analysis, the researcher does not study people directly.
a. True
b. False
140. Sociologists are not interested in historical research.
a. True
b. False
141. Sociological research, especially quantitative research, is always value-free or completely objective.
a. True
b. False
142. Survey research does not involve ethical considerations.
a. True
b. False
143. The discussion of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study illustrated the importance of research ethics.
a. True
b. False
144. Define the scientific method and why it is important.
145. Describe how a researcher might develop a research question.
146. What is the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning? Give an example of each.
147. Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative studies and the types of analysis that might be used for
each.
148. Define independent and dependent variables; give a brief example of a research question and identify the
independent and dependent variables within it.
149. Explain what a concept is, and describe the relationship between concepts and indicator variables.
150. Explain the Hawthorne Effect: what it is, where it originated, and give a brief example that illustrates it.
151. What is a random sample, and why is it used in sociological research?
152. Explain what a controlled experiment is, including what the variables in an experiment are called. Briefly discuss
the advantages and disadvantages of a controlled experiment as a research method.
153. Explain what content analysis is, and what types of questions it is most appropriate for. Describe the limitations
of content analysis.
154. Describe the research process, including the five steps discussed in the text, and differentiate between inductive
and deductive reasoning.
155. Explain why sociology is considered a science.
156. What are the components of research design, and what are the factors that influence how a study is designed?
Give an example of a research problem and what a research design to study that problem might consist of.
157. Explain the difference between validity and reliability.
158. Explain the importance of establishing a population when drawing a sample.
159. Explain sampling and why it is used in data gathering. Explain how one can use a sample for research and still be
able to generalize the findings to a larger population; what factors determine if the results from a sample may be
generalized to the population?
160. Explain the limitations of a controlled experiment for addressing real life effects.
161. Define two of the six methods that sociologists use to gather data. For each of the two you select, discuss the
type of problem it might be used to study, and its potential advantages and disadvantages.
162. Explain the difficulties involved in achieving completely “value-free” sociology. How might a researcher potentially
add bias to the outcomes of the research? How do most sociologists resolve the issue of objectivity in research?