Exam 2: Sociological Research Methods

Durkheim's research on suicide documented that suicide was a large­scale social problem and not an isolated individual problem.This would be an example of:

According to sociologist Emile Durkheim,______________suicide occurs among individuals who are excessively integrated into society.

______________ is the systematic examination of cultural artifacts or various forms of communication to extract thematic data and draw conclusions about social life.

A trademark of sociology involves the unmasking of fallacies in the everyday and official interpretations of society.This process is called:

Content analysis is the systematic examination of cultural artifacts or various forms of communication to extract thematic data and draw conclusions about social life.

Explain how sociological research is grounded in the scientific tradition.

A researcher is interested in uncovering the social factors that may motivate suicide bombers.Because this would include a small number of cases,which research model would be most appropriate?

______________ researchers frequently attempt to study the social world from the point of view of the people they are studying.

The term______________was developed by sociologists Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss to describe an inductive method of theory construction wherein researchers collect and analyze data simultaneously.

Describe the components of an experiment and explain how sociologists are able to employ this research method.

In social science research,______________are the most typical unit of analysis.

A researcher wishes to compare income,educational level,and race in regard to people's attitudes toward capital punishment.______________research would probably be the best research method for this researcher.

In______________sampling,the researcher interviews a few individuals who possess a certain characteristic;these interviewees are then asked to supply the names of others with the same characteristic.This process continues until the sample is an acceptable size and no new information of any significance is being gained.

A researcher attempting to study physician assisted suicide through the systematic collection and analysis of data would use the______________approach.

Most participant observation research takes the form of a(n)______________,which is often an in- depth,multifaceted investigation of a single event,person,or social grouping.

As a researcher you must decide which population-persons about whom you want to be able to draw conclusions-will be observed or questioned.In______________,participants are deliberately chosen because they have specific characteristics.

Discuss the connection between sociology and scientific evidence by comparing the normative approach with the empirical approach.

Which of the following was identified as a weakness of secondary analysis?

Describe survey research paying special attention to the different types of surveys.Explain the strengths and weaknesses of this type of research method.

Sociologists create a(n)______________,which is an explanation of an abstract concept in terms of observable features that are specific enough to measure the variable.