Soc Quiz 2 – Flashcards

being aware of the effects that researchers have on the processes and relationships they are studying Reflexive researchers analyze and critically consider their role in, and their effect on, their own research (p. 52).

decide whether to participate in a study. Voluntary participation is the right of a research subject to decide whether to participate in a study. Remember, people can also stop participating at any point during the study (p. 68).

inductive reasoning-- An inductive approach starts with empirical observations and then moves toward formulation of a theory (p. 45).

. a proposed relationship between two variables. Hypotheses propose relationships between two variables. They usually include the direction of the relationship; in other words, they usually include whether the variables move in the same direction (positive) or in opposite directions (negative) (p. 50).

conducting a survey of how often people read- Quantitative methods seek to obtain information about the social world that is already in, or can be converted to, numeric form. A survey of how often people read could be quantified easily, though it is possible that data obtained from other methods, such as content analysis, could be quantified (p. 44).

informed consent--Informed consent is the right of a research subject to know they are participating in a study and what the study will consist of

two or more units of analysis that have a number of things in common but differ on a dimension (or dimensions) of interest-Comparative research is a methodology by which a research compares two or more entities (often countries or cultures) with the intent of learning more about factors that differ between them (p. 64).

Causality is the notion that a change in one factor results in the change of another factor. To establish causality, three factors are needed: correlation, time order, and ruling out alternative explanations (p. 48).

low reliability--Reliability refers to how likely you are to obtain the same result using the same measure if you conduct the study again (p. 52).

how often children misbehave in school--A dependent variable is the outcome that a researcher is trying to explain (p. 50).

reliable but not valid.-- Reliability is consistency in measurement. A thermometer can be reliable but not valid. In other words, it can provide consistent temperatures, though they may be consistently incorrect (p. 51).

a study of 1,000 high school seniors who are then contacted every 2 years for a 10-year period to participate in a follow-up survey--A panel survey is a survey that tracks the same respondents, households, or other social units over time. It is also known as a longitudinal study (p. 63).

segments of the population that a researcher may need special approval to study.-- Protected populations are segments of the population that a researcher may need special approval to study, often because they are particularly vulnerable. This includes children and also incarcerated populations, people with disabilities, and others (p. 68).

a factor that affects the relationship between the independent and dependent variables--Moderating variables affect the relationship between the independent and dependent variables (p. 51).

A researcher starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes observations, and then analyzes the data to confirm, reject, or refine the original theory.-- A deductive approach starts with a theory, followed by formation of a hypothesis, making of empirical observations, and then analysis of the data to confirm, reject, or modify the original theory. Conversely, an inductive approach starts with empirical observations and then moves toward formulation of a theory (p. 45).

a relationship between two variables.-- For example, people who have higher incomes also tend to have more years of education (p. 46).

historical methods, participant observation, interviews.--There are many ways that sociologists collect data. These include, but are not limited to, surveys, interviews, participant observation, historical methods, experiments, content analysis, and comparative research. Also note that while sociologists do conduct experiments, they are rarely (if ever) conducted in labs (p. 58).

Sandra Harding proposes three ways to conduct feminist research. First, treat women's experiences as legitimate empirical and theoretical resources. Second, engage in social science that may bring about policy changes to help improve women's lives. Third, take the role of the researcher into account. Overall, there is no single feminist research method (p. 55).

content analysis-- examines the content rather than the structure of communication (p. 67).

Employees with more responsibility are less likely to miss work.-- A negative relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable means that as one variable increases, the other decreases (p. 50).