question

Exhibit 1-1 Professor Rodgers found that the average level of happiness reported by people under 65 years of age declined from 1957 to 1970. However, for this same group, the average level of happiness increased slightly from 1970 to 1978. Rodgers also found that the average level of happiness reported by people age 65 and older increased from 1957 to 1978. Refer to Exhibit 1-1. The dependent variable in this study is "level of happiness." One independent variable in this study is:

answer

C. age

question

Refer to Exhibit 1-1. Assume that Professor Rodgers had studied a sample totaling ten people, who were attending a meeting of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Suppose he concluded that the average level of happiness in the general population increased as age increased. Rodgers would be committing:

answer

a. the error of overgeneralization

question

Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from

answer

direct experience, tradition, direct, personal inquiry, authority

question

Social scientific theory addresses

answer

b. what is

question

Which of the following would a sociologist be LEAST likely to study?

answer

C. Why Mr. Smith quit his job

question

a probabilistic explanation takes the form

answer

c. x tends to be y

question

One of your friends scored in the 90s on her last ten exams. Although she has been studying for this exam and feels prepared, she told you, "I know I'm going to flunk this exam. I've been doing too well on exams." Your friend is committing the error of:

answer

A. illogical reasoning

question

the statement "knowledge for knowledge's sake" best describes

answer

A. pure research

question

A study reported in American Sociological Review (1994) was entitled "Race Differences in Sexual Activity Among Adolescent Women." The independent variable was probably:

answer

A. Race

question

After examining divorce court records, Jenny concludes that Moms are more likely than Dads to obtain custody of their children. This type of statement is:

answer

D. nomothetic and probabilistic

question

Safeguards against error in social research include

answer

making observations more deliberate replications under slightly varying circumstances the use of simple and complex measurement devices totally independent replications by other researchers E all of these choices

question

In comparison to nonscientific inquiry, scientific inquiry:

answer

A. takes special precaution to avoid error

question

an independent variable is

answer

B a variable influencing other variables

question

which of the following is most likely to be a list of variables

answer

C. occupation, political party preference, birthrate

question

Which of the following is TRUE of quantification?

answer

a. It often makes our observations more explicit b. It can make it easier to aggregate data c. It can make it easier to summarize data d. It opens up the possibility of statistical analysis e. All of these choices are TRUE

question

Pregnant at age 15, Tammy decided to have the baby. Her parents were upset with her decision and threatened to "cut her off" if she did not complete high school. A difficult pregnancy and embarrassment resulted in Tammy's dropping out of school. After the baby was born her parents said that they would raise the baby but that she would have to leave the house. At age 16 Tammy was on her own and without any money or job market skills. She began to work as a prostitute. This explanation of Tammy's prostitution is:

answer

A. idiographic

question

the analysis of deviant cases- cases that do not fit the general pattern helps guard against

answer

D. selective observation

question

Jeremy is doing research for a Congressional committee charged with examining the effect of flex time on employee absenteeism in government bureaucracies. The committee wants Jeremy to make recommendations that will increase governmental efficiency. Jeremy's research would be an example of:

answer

C. applied research

question

male, female, 65 years of age, 22 years of age, and brown-eyed are examples of

answer

d. attributes

question

social scientific theory aims at the determination of logical and persistent patterns of regularities in social life

answer

TRUE

question

if you do not research, the study of social science research methods is of little use in your life

answer

FALSE

question

tradition can hinder our attempts to find new empirical facts and understanding

answer

TRUE

question

social regularities are probabilistic patterns

answer

TRUE

question

nomothetic reasoning is more useful than idiographic reasoning

answer

FALSE

question

While doing research on crime, Professor Middler notes that crime creates jobs in law enforcement and related careers. He also notices that crime reinforces community norms when criminals are caught and punished. Professor Middler has probably adopted a(n) ____ approach to the study of crime.

answer

C. STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

question

a model or scheme for helping us organize and interpret the world is referred to as

answer

A paradigm

question

In a study of women the following notation was used: Y = f(X) where Y represented fertility plans and X represented occupational plans. This states:

answer

d. that fertility plans are a function of (or are affected by) occupational plans and is an hypothesis

question

which of the following is NOT TRUE of paradigms

answer

a. Paradigms shape the kinds of observations we are likely to make. b.Paradigms determine the kinds of "facts" we will discover. c.Paradigms shape the conclusions that we draw from facts. d.Paradigms play fundamental roles in both science and daily life. e.All of these choices are TRUE about paradigms

question

Which of the following statements BEST represents grounded theory?

answer

It is an inductive method of theory construction and the researcher begins constructing grounded theory by observing aspects of social life.

question

The Minamata disease, a disease which produced severe nervous disorders and birth defects, was traced to the fact that the Chisso Chemical Company dumped mercury into a bay where Japanese villagers fished. The villagers of Minamata, the village in which the company was located, refused to sue the chemical company. However, the residents of Niigata, a fishing village forty miles up the river from the factory, sued the chemical company. Which of the following explanations flows from the conflict paradigm?

answer

C. The chemical company controlled more of the village resources in Minamata than in Niigato.

question

A(n) ____ is a testable statement about a relationship between two variables.

answer

E. hypothesis

question

Which of the following statements BEST fits Dunlaps definition of a hypothesis?

answer

E. Women are more likely than men to acquit on jury verdicts

question

Which of the following statements BEST exemplifies a null hypothesis?

answer

A. there is no relationship between gender and jury verdict

question

Social scientists generally believe that the succession from one paradigm to another represents progress from a false view to a true one.

answer

FALSE

question

In deduction we start from observed data and develop a generalization that explains the relationship between the observed concepts.

answer

FALSE

question

Scientific inquiry is a process involving an alternation of deduction and induction.

answer

TRUE

question

The traditional model of science uses inductive logic.

answer

FALSE

question

Social scientists believe that paradigms are either true or false.

answer

FALSE

question

The conflict paradigm is limited to economic analysis.

answer

FALSE

question

Feminist paradigms focus only on how inequities hurt women.

answer

TRUE

question

All of our experiences are inescapably subjective.

answer

TRUE

question

Ethics in social research is

answer

ALL ARE TRUE a. is defined as general agreements shared by researchers as to what is proper and improper in the conduct of scientific inquiry b.may stem from religious, political, and pragmatic sources among others c.may vary from one social research community to another d.may vary from one point in time to another

question

the primary ethical research issue raised by the Milgram study was

answer

A. the willingness of people to harm others when "following orders" required it

question

Weber called the lack of intrusion of the researcher's own political position on research

answer

A. value-free research

question

When names are removed from questionnaries and are replaced with identification numbers so that only the researcher can later link a response to a particular name, the researcher should tell the respondent that the information is

answer

B. confidential

question

Ethical considerations are NOT invoked by:

answer

E! a. voluntary participation b.no harm to subjects c.the analysis of the data d.the reporting of the data e.all of these choices may invoke ethical consideration

question

Which of the following does NOT harm subjects?

answer

a.Having them face aspects of themselves that they do not normally consider b.Asking them to reveal their unpopular attitudes c.Asking them to identify their deviant behavior d.Allowing them to identify themselves easily in the final report e.All of these choices may harm respondents

question

Ethical obligations to one's colleagues in the scientific community:

answer

a.require that technical shortcomings and failures of the study be revealed

question

Which of the following techniques of data collection is MOST likely to make a guarantee of anonymity difficult?

answer

A. face-to-face interviews

question

Professor Smith decides to track the dating behaviors of college students throughout their college careers. She decides to begin her research using her introductory class. After explaining the study, she assures students that their responses will be kept confidential. The students complete her survey during class. Her research most clearly impinges on:

answer

C. voluntary participation

question

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding university IRBS

answer

a. IRB's must review all research

question

which of the following was NOT suggested by Kathleen McKinney as a way to insure the right to privacy in doing research on sex?

answer

B. Anonymous interviews

question

Trained as a lawyer, Charles decides to do research on the lawyer-client relationship. He wants to examine the patterns of interaction between lawyers and their clients. He asks for your advice on the ethical issues involved in doing social research. You tell Charles:

answer

C. he will need to learn about the ethical standards used by social scientist in doing social research

question

social scientists are totally objective in their research

answer

false

question

the ethical issues are readily apparent in research projects

answer

false

question

the norm of voluntary participation threatens the social research goal of generalizability

answer

true

question

the ethics as well as the politics of research hinge on ideological points of view

answer

true

question

Once people are told that their participation in a research study is voluntary, there are no ethical problems.

answer

false

question

It is often as important to report that two variables are unrelated as to report that they are related.

answer

true

question

Everyone agrees that Tom's research does NOT inflict physical harm on subjects. Tom is pleased by this conclusion because it means that he no longer has to be concerned with the issue of harm to subjects.

answer

false

question

Debriefing entails interviews with subjects to discover any problems generated by their research experience.

answer

true

question

At the conclusion of his research project, Fred interviews his research subjects to discover whether they have problems because of their participation in the research project. Fred is engaged in the debriefing process.

answer

true

question

Since it simply counts the population, the Census Bureau is fortunate to avoid political issues in research.

answer

false

question

Any agency wishing to receive federal funds for research must establish an Institutional Review Board (IRB).

answer

true

question

Theo is excited because he received a grant from the National Institute of Health to conduct his study. As an undergraduate student he is exempt from bringing his research before his school's IRB.

answer

false

question

The topic of surrogate mothers interested Professor Snyder. Snyder read the available materials on the topic and wanted to develop an age, education, and income profile of women who serve as surrogate mothers in the United States. To develop this profile, Snyder should undertake a(n):

answer

B. descriptive study

question

Professor Dooley examined the literature on AIDS and could find nothing that examined children's attitudes toward parents and friends with AIDS. To begin an inquiry into this topic, Dooley should undertake a(n):

answer

C. Exploratory study

question

If a researcher wanted to know why there was a noticeable increase in the number of burglaries in the town of Southpaw during 2005, the researcher would design a(n):

answer

B. explanatory study

question

Which of the following employs the nomothetic model of explanation?

answer

a.An examination of all the considerations that resulted in 85% of the senior class members being hired for the jobs of their choice b.An attempt to understand all the reasons concerning why five former presidents of the United States ran for office c.An isolation of the three most important reasons as to why men were selected to all the leadership positions at a former women's college that went coed d.Listing the reasons given by first-year students for selecting the college they currently attend e.All of these choices employ the nomothetic model of explanation

question

Which of the following statements is(are) TRUE regarding necessary and sufficient causes?

answer

D a.A necessary cause represents a condition that, by and large, must be present for the effect to follow. b.A sufficient cause represents a condition that, if it is present, will pretty much guarantee the effect in question. c.In social science, evidence of either necessary or sufficient causes is often used as the basis for concluding that a relationship is causal. d.All of these choices are true.

question

Professor King examined all the reasons given by 100 couples for their marriages. In the final research report, King listed all the reasons given by the 200 people for their marriages. Professor King is:

answer

C. using an idiographic explanation for marriage

question

If we can establish that variable X comes before variable Q in time, then we can say:

answer

Variable Q is not the cause of variable X

question

A researcher examined newspaper editorials from papers published in major U.S. cities to determine what issues concerned readers. The unit of analysis was:

answer

E. newspaper readers

question

In Sweden, there is a very strong correlation between the number of storks and the number of babies born. However, both of these variables are associated with region (rural vs. urban). This illustrates:

answer

c.that there is no causal relationship between the number of storks and the number of babies

question

There is a strong correlation between the number of firefighters that show up at a fire and the amount of damage produced by the fire. The size of the fire influences both the number of firefighters and the amount of damage. This illustrates that the relationship between the number of firefighters and the amount of damage is:

answer

A. caused by a third factor

question

Professor Root was studying the arrest rates for drunken driving in urban and rural areas of Ohio. It was found that the arrest rate was higher in the rural areas. Root concluded that people who live in rural areas are more likely to drive while intoxicated than are people who live in urban areas. Root's conclusion illustrates the:

answer

a. ecological fallacy

question

Which of the following statements is(are) TRUE?

answer

a. being arrested is a necessary cause for having a criminal trial

question

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a cross-sectional study? It is conducted at only one point in time. It can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory. It concentrates on changes that take place in a specific sample over a period of time. It provides a means for studying a large population at the same point in time. All of these choices are characteristics of the cross-sectional study.

answer

C

question

If a researcher were conducting a study of women's attitudes toward abortion, the unit of analysis would be: a. the individual b. attitudes c. each abortion d. the women's attitudes e. the society

answer

A

question

The 2000 Census is a ____ study that when used with another decennial census could be considered a ____ study. a. cross-sectional, trend b. cross-sectional, panel c. cross-sectional, cohort d. cross-sectional, cross-sectional e. trend, cohort

answer

A

question

Explanatory studies are designed to find answers to which of the following questions? a. What is the educational profile of people who change careers in midlife? b. Why are people changing careers in midlife? c. How many people change careers in midlife? d. Does the occupational prestige of a career tend to increase for midlife career changers? e. All of these choices are questions that an explanatory study is designed to examine.

answer

B

question

A single U.S. Census is a: a. cross-sectional study b. panel study c. time series study d. trend study e. longitudinal study

answer

A

question

Professor Stone designs a study to examine the effect of a teenage pregnancy on the career choices of the teens. Stone interviews a sample of teenage women during their pregnancy, after the birth, and one year later. Stone is using a: a. cross sectional design b. trend study c. cohort study d. panel study e. cannot tell from the given information

answer

D

question

Which of the following is NOT an element of a research proposal? a. A literature review b. A measurement description c. A budget d. A description of the subjects whom you will study e. All of these choices are elements of a research proposal

answer

E

question

To look at changes in the average age of marriage for men and women in the United States, Professor Torme studied the U.S. Census over a period of decades. Torme was doing a: a. panel study b. cross-sectional study c. cohort study d. trend study e. not enough information to determine the design

answer

D

question

Tyler finds that in burglary cases male and female jurors are equally likely to vote to acquit. Tyler should conclude that: a. there is no relationship between burglary and gender b. there is no relationship between burglary and verdicts c. there is a relationship between gender and verdict in burglary cases d. there is no relationship between gender and verdict in burglary cases e. there is a relationship between gender and type of offense

answer

D

question

Descriptive research answers the question "What's so?" and explanatory research answers the question "Why?"

answer

TRUE

question

Researchers ignore previous work on a topic so that their research can be original.

answer

FALSE

question

The ecological fallacy refers to drawing conclusions about individuals based solely on the observation of groups.

answer

TRUE

question

Operationalization is the process of clarifying what is meant by the concepts being used in a study.

answer

FALSE

question

The independent variable must occur later in time than the dependent variable.

answer

FALSE

question

If two variables are correlated with each other, there must be a causal relationship between them.

answer

FALSE

question

A necessary condition represents a condition that, if it is present, will pretty much guarantee the effect in question.

answer

FALSE

question

The nomothetic model of explanation is probabilistic in its approach to causation.

answer

TRUE

question

The nomothetic model of causal analysis lends itself to hypothesis testing.

answer

TRUE

question

Which of the following sequences illustrates the sequential progression of measurement steps in a fully structured scientific study? a. Conceptualization, nominal definition, operational definition, and measurements in the real world b. Nominal definition, conceptualization, operational definition, and measurements in the real world c. Operational definition, conceptualization, nominal definition, and measurements in the real world d. Nominal definition, operationalization, conceptualization, and real-world measurements e. Conceptualization, operationalization, nominal definition, and real-world measurements

answer

A

question

Professor Smith gave an exam on Monday. On Wednesday Smith gave the same class the same exam. Professor Smith was clearly interested in assessing the exam's: a. reliability b. validity c. face validity d. conceptualization e. precision

answer

A

question

Reliability involves: a. whether a particular technique applied repeatedly to the same object would yield the same results each time b. ensuring accuracy c. ensuring that your measure measures what you think it should measure d. ensuring precision e. all of these choices

answer

A

question

The specification of concepts in scientific inquiry depends on: a. nominal, operational, and real definitions b. real definitions c. nominal and operational definitions d. nominal and real definitions e. operational and real definitions

answer

C

question

Professor Spence decided to conceptualize socioeconomic status as a combination of income and education. Spence then determined the questions to be asked in a survey and the categories of responses. Spence was assigning socioeconomic status: a. a nominal definition only b. an operational and a real definition c. a real definition only d. a nominal and a real definition e. A nominal and an operational definition

answer

E OR A

question

Techniques used to create reliable measures include: a. asking only about things respondents are likely to know the answer to b. using measures that have proved their reliability in previous research c. being clear about what you're asking d. asking about things relevant to respondents e. all of these choices are used to create reliable measures

answer

E

question

Most social scientists would not accept the conceptualization of prejudice as foot size because such a measurement lacks: a. precision b. reliability c. accuracy d. validity e. all of these choices

answer

D

question

Professor Myth asked respondents whether or not they had ever been divorced. One year later Professor Myth asked the same respondents the same question. Myth found that with repeated applications of the measure different responses were obtained for the same respondent. This means that the measuring instrument was: a. unreliable b. invalid c. unreliable or the value on the variable had changed d. lacking face validity e. inaccurate

answer

C

question

Because low marital satisfaction should lead to divorce, Professor Rogers checked his measure of marital satisfaction by examining whether couples with low marital satisfaction scores later obtained divorces and those with high levels of marital satisfaction remained married. This illustrates the use of: a. criterion-related validity b. face validity c. content validity d. construct validity e. test-retest validity

answer

B

question

A nominal definition: a. is a statement of the essential nature of some entity b. is a statement detailing what will be involved in measuring some entity c. is a statement that allows us to observe some entity d. is a statement that assigns a definition to a concept e. none of these choices

answer

D

question

Professor Tyler believes that his measure of authoritarianism is valid after finding that it varies, in the predicated way, with child rearing practices and voting behavior. Tyler is relying on a ____ approach to validity. a. face validity b. content validity c. comportment validity d. criterion-related validity e. construct validity

answer

D

question

Classifying someone as employed or not employed treats employment as: a. a ratio variable b. an interval variable c. an ordinal variable d. a nominal variable e. a dependent variable

answer

D

question

Professor Tilton measured the variable "feelings toward drafting women" with the categories strongly agree, agree, indifferent, disagree, and strongly disagree. Professor Tilton was using the ____ level of measurement. a. nominal b. interval c. ratio d. ordinal e. not enough information to decide

answer

D

question

When we fall into the trap of believing that terms have real meanings were are guilty of: a. reification b. measurements that lack reliability c. measurements that lack validity d. confusing reliability with validity e. confusing validity with reliability

answer

A

question

Professor Salton created the categories of less than 20 hours, 20 hours to 40 hours, and more than 40 hours for the variable "number of hours employed outside the home." Salton's scheme is: a. a nominal variable b. mutually exclusive c. exhaustive d. an interval variable e. mutually exclusive and exhaustive

answer

D

question

Sarah has compiled a list of 40 indicators of prejudice and its dimensions. She finds that women are more prejudiced than men on some of the indicators but not on others. Sarah should: a. check to see if the two sets of indicators represent different dimensions of prejudice b. conclude the women are more prejudiced than men c. throw out the 40 indicators and start over d. conclude that there was an error in her analysis e. get a new sample

answer

A

question

If a measure is reliable, it must also be valid.

answer

FALSE

question

Conceptualization is the development of research procedures that will result in empirical observations representing those concepts in the real world.

answer

FALSE

question

Precision and accuracy are synonyms.

answer

FALSE

question

Predictive validity is often used as another term for criterion-related validity.

answer

TRUE

question

It is impossible to have several indicators of only one concept.

answer

FALSE

question

Precise measurement is more important than accurate measurement.

answer

FALSE

question

If three people (Smith, Jones, and Edwards) are rank- ordered with respect to the possession of an attribute on an ordinal variable, then we can conclude that the distance between Smith and Jones on that variable is equal to the distance between Jones and Edwards.

answer

FALSE

question

A nominal measure can have only two categories.

answer

FALSE

question

When one's research purposes haven't been fully determined in advance, it is advisable to choose the highest level of measurement possible

answer

FALSE

question

Conceptualization and operationalization are processes that continue throughout the research process.

answer

TRUE

question

In survey research, the test-retest method of assessing reliability of a variable assumes that the phenomenon under study does not change.

answer

TRUE

question

Survey interviews are more prone to reactivity than are self administered questionnaires.

answer

TRUE

question

Survey research tends to be strong on reliability but less strong on validity.

answer

TRUE

question

Reactivity is seldom a problem in survey research.

answer

FALSE

question

Nonprobability sampling: a. always produces samples that possess distorted characteristics relative to the population b. denies the researcher the use of statistical theory to estimate the probability of correct inferences c. should never be used under any circumstances d. includes stratified sampling e. requires the use of sampling frames

answer

B

question

The chief aim of probability sampling is to be able to select: a. simple random samples b. a sample whose statistics will accurately portray an unknown population parameter c. a sample whose parameters will accurately portray an unknown population statistic d. a sample whose statistics will accurately portray a known population parameter e. a sample whose unknown statistics will accurately portray a known parameter

answer

B

question

The unit about which information is collected and that provides the basis of analysis is called a(n): a. universe b. sampling unit c. statistic d. sampling frame e. element

answer

E

question

A sampling interval of 5 was used to select a sample from a population of 1000. How many elements are to be in the sample? a. 5 b. 50 c. 100 d. 200 e. 1000

answer

D

question

A summary description of a given variable in a survey sample is called a: a. variable b. parameter c. confidence level d. confidence interval e. statistic

answer

E

question

Exhibit 7-1 A researcher discovers that 40% of the households in City X are single person households and 60% are husband-wife households. The researcher tells interviewers to conduct 80 interviews and that 40% of the interviews should be with households headed by a single person and 60% with husband-wife households. Refer to Exhibit 7-1. This research uses: a. simple random sampling b. quota sampling c. cluster sampling d. stratified sampling e. accidental sampling

answer

B

question

You want to examine the relationship between family size and family cohesion. You use as your sample all the students in your research methods class. What kind of sampling design are you using? a. Simple random sampling b. Quota sampling c. Cluster sampling d. Stratified sampling e. Reliance on available subjects

answer

E

question

Every kth element in a list is chosen for inclusion in the sample in: a. simple random sampling b. systematic sampling c. disproportionate sampling d. cluster sampling e. stratified sampling

answer

E

question

Refer to Exhibit 7-2. The sampling scheme used is: a. Systematic b. Stratified c. simple random d. Quota e. multistage cluster

answer

A

question

If a field researcher wanted to learn a political organization's pattern of recruitment over time, the researcher might begin by interviewing a fairly recent recruit and ask who introduced that person to the organization. Then the researcher might interview the person named and ask who introduced that person to the political organization. This would be an example of: a. snowball sampling b. systematic sampling c. deviant cases sampling d. accidental sampling e. quota sampling

answer

A

question

A disadvantage of stratified sampling is that it: a. denies you the use of probability theory b. requires you to have some prior knowledge about the elements in the population prior to drawing the sample c. usually increases the standard error d. usually requires samples that are larger in size than those required by simple random sampling e. none of these choices is a disadvantage of stratified sampling

answer

B

question

Professor Hall was planning to do a field study of hitchhikers. Hall wanted to be sure that persons representing all different age, racial, and sex categories were included in the sample of hitchhikers. What kind of sampling scheme would you recommend? a. Deviant cases b. Quota sampling c. Stratified sampling d. Snowball sampling e. Cluster sampling

answer

B

question

Tammy wants to do a telephone survey and she turns to you for help. Which of the following statements would mislead her? a. Cell phone numbers are typically not included in phone surveys b. People who use cell phones exclusively tend to be younger c. There is a class bias in using telephone directory samples d. Telephone directories are an excellent listing of a city's population e. None of these statements would mislead Tammy

answer

D

question

Field researchers are often interested in studying deviant cases in order to improve their understanding of the more typical pattern.

answer

TRUE

question

If two samples of the same size are drawn from the same population using simple random sampling, it follows that they will have the same statistics.

answer

FALSE

question

Sampling error is reduced through an increase in the sample size and an increased homogeneity of the elements being sampled.

answer

TRUE

question

Stratification represents a modification to rather than an alternative to simple random sampling and systematic sampling.

answer

TRUE

question

The size of the population must be taken into account when deciding on sample size.

answer

TRUE

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