Exam 2: How Sociologists Do Research

What underlying methodological principle is reflected in Comte's preferred name for sociology, "social physics"?

A group of sociologists is interested in studying Canadian university students' attitudes toward the federal government. They only have funding for a survey of 1,500 respondents. In order to generate a set of meaningful responses, what type of the sample should they design?

Which of the following represents a pattern?

Which principle of ethical research was violated in the Canadian government's research into health benefits of nutrition conducted in Aboriginal communities in the 1940s?

What are the characteristics of the concrete level of experience?

In the 1970s, a sociologist observed sexual encounters in public washrooms without revealing his identity to participants. He did not debrief the participants. Which characteristic of ethical research would debriefing have improved?

John tells Renée, "If you work hard you can get ahead, because my parents told me that this has happened to several people they know." What type of unscientific thinking is John guilty of?

Which research participants' rights are the basis for the principle of informed consent? Explain.

What process translates an abstract concept into a testable variable?

Experimental research tends to have low reliability and high validity.

What is the central goal of a quantitative research approach? Explain how it is achieved in the two main quantitative research methods.

Outline three types of unscientific thinking, providing examples of each.

Compare participant observation and survey research. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? How are they similar and different? Which is better suited to what purposes and why?

What kind of research is Statistics Canada's national census?

Jeremy notes that when his nose gets cold, he is more likely to slip on the ice when leaving his apartment building. He decides to write a paper stating that there is an association between cold noses and falls. What kind of association does this example illustrate?