Exam 2: Studying Social Life: Sociology Research Methods

It has been assumed by many sociologists as far back as Auguste Comte, the theorist who coined the term "sociology," that objectivity is important in studying society. Describe the assumptions surrounding the role objectivity plays in sociology.

What recommendations are set out in the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics?

________ is/are the consistency of a measurement tool or the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers.

Kemi is conducting a sociological research study on differences in interactions between similar and dissimilar co-workers. After reviewing the literature, she developed a hypothesis and operationalized the variables she will study. What is the next step Kemi should take in the scientific method?

Why might surveys, rather than a more direct form of communication like interviews, be more appropriate when asking high school students about sensitive subjects like drug use or sexual health?

Which of the following is an advantage of using ethnography to study social life?

Why do social scientists who use interviews rarely speak with large numbers of people for a project?

Jared is conducting a sociological research study on the underground music scene. He has just finished collecting data for the study. What is the next step Jared should take in the scientific method?

A social research methods class wants to study smoking. First, the professor asks how many people in the class are smokers. Two people indicate that they are. She then asks how many people have smoked a cigarette in the past week and ten people indicate that they have. The class decides, for the purposes of the survey, that a smoker will be defined as anyone who has smoked a cigarette in the past week and currently owns a pack of cigarettes. This is a(n)

How might researchers generate a representative sample from a target population?

Why is it important that researchers have a representative sample when conducting survey research?

A researcher must identify a target population before engaging in sampling. What is the target population?

How does quantitative research differ from qualitative research?

Why can sociologists who conduct interviews only gather data from a limited number of people?

In recent years, ethnography has expanded beyond academic and scientific disciplines and is now often used for commercial purposes. Explain how ethnographic methods can help advertisers.

Researchers must avoid negative questions when writing a survey. What are negative questions?

The Yale sociologist Kai Erikson wrote a book called Wayward Puritans, in which he drew on court records from colonial Massachusetts. He learned that the rate of out-of-wedlock births was much higher than it is now and that the amount of alcohol consumed per capita was higher as well. What research methodology was Erikson using?

Carla is worried about the representativeness of her study. She is conducting interviews, but each one seems to last at least five hours. What strategy might she use to increase her sample size given that she only has one month to collect her data?

No harm can come to participants as a result of completing a questionnaire.

In their ethnography Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood before Marriage, Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas studied the realities of single motherhood for poor, urban women. They immersed themselves in the community before beginning their research. Edin moved her family to the city, and both ethnographers volunteered in community programs. Immersing themselves in the community is an example of