Exam 2: Sociological Research

What research focuses on data that can be measured numerically?

Variables are frequently used in quantitative research.

Interviews are a useful research method for eliciting information about complicated or sensitive matters

The major advantage of the controlled experiment is the researcher's control over the environment and the ability to isolate the experimental variable.

Suppose a researcher meets with the subjects of her study and asks each a series of questions.Which data collection method is she using?

Unstructured interviews involve asking all research participants the same questions.

A team of researchers recently decided to conduct an experiment originally made famous by Stanley Milgram in the 1950s in order to test whether Milgram's results still hold today.Which term best describes their activities?

Compare and contrast descriptive and explanatory studies.Provide examples.

Participant observation involves collecting systematic observations while being part of the activities of the group being studied.

All social research makes use of hypotheses.

What specific ethical problem does the use of big data present?

A researcher wanted to learn more about neighbourhood environments,so he collected data about the sizes of homes,the width of roads and sidewalks,and the number of trees.With this information,he hopes to better understand social characteristics of neighbourhoods such as income levels,educational attainment,or crime rates.Which type of research approach best describes this project?

Which group contains the participants who are NOT exposed to a pornographic film in the study investigating how such films affect men's attitudes toward women?

Which term refers to the extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results?

Most observation research takes the form of a case study.

In what approach does the researcher collect information or data and then generate theories from the analysis of those data?

Why are variables important?

Finding a correlation between two variables allows a researcher to determine "cause and effect."

What are scientists trying to achieve when they try to ensure that their biases and values do NOT affect their research?

What is a disadvantage of self-administered questionnaire research?