Exam 20: Research Methods

David was 12 years old when he watched the continuous media coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Since that time he has gone out of his way to not associate with people that are of Middle Eastern descent, asserting that "they can't be trusted." What type of reasoning has David utilized in drawing this conclusion?

When a researcher talks about the validity of things being measured, what does that mean?

After observing little girls at play, a researcher concluded that those girls wearing dresses acted in a more feminine manner. However, in reality, some of the girls wearing pants acted similarly. What may have influenced the researcher's erroneous finding?

Jodi and Paula were discussing their research proposals and Jodi asked Paula what form of data collection activity she was going to undertake. Paula answered, "The primary one of social science research." Which of the following is Paula going to use in her research project?

A sociologist who owns a Harley-Davidson bike starts hanging out with a biker gang. In addition to the hanging out, he informally conducts interviews with the members, and supplements his research with official statistics and police reports. Then he publishes a book on his work that gives an in-depth insider's look at the structure and process of gang life, contrasted with the official information. His work both confirms some aspects of official data, and explodes some myths about biker gangs. What kind of research is this?

The method of participant observation typically employs random samples of individuals or groups.

Janice walks out on her boyfriend after a six-year relationship. What topic must be studied in order to understand her motivation for this action?

A hallmark of science is its creativity.

Heidi observed children playing in a controlled setting, limiting toys and adult interaction. When the findings were compared with children studied playing in their homes, many findings were the same. This showed the first experiment had what feature?

Julio went shopping with Lei to see she what she bought on a weekly basis. However, the five bags of chips and two containers of ice cream contradicted Lei's claim that her family eats only healthy food. When asked about the food, she replied "a little treat now and then doesn't hurt anyone." This contradiction between the conversation and the shopping experience was identified through which methodology?

Imagine that you have been asked to conduct a research study on Internet porn website usage of university students. What research method(s) would you use and why? Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of your selected research method(s), incorporating material from the text.

Which form of sociological research uses the idea of a "member test of validity" is a way of reducing personal bias?

When a researcher wants to measure the effect of one variable upon another, what is the term for the effect being measured?

Pavel explained his research to a potential participant. He told her that he wanted to study the influence of a specific government policy on household finances, in order to understand purchasing decisions in the family. Pavel was required to give this much detail in order to obtain which of the following?

Spuriousness happens when a researcher makes a correct inference about the causal relations between variables.

Wilson, through participant observation research with rave party-goers, came to define the situation as ravers themselves defined it.

Who bears the primary ethical responsibility in university-based academic research?

If a person's sex is said to affect his or her income, then what kind of variable is sex?

According to the text, which of the following is an example of a purpose for sociological investigation?

Having studied Stanley Milgram's experiments on obedience to authority, which were conducted in the early 1960s, Thomas wanted to see if people were still as willing to obey authority. Using the same methodology, Thomas conducted his experiments and found that the average obedience rates were remarkably similar. What can be said about Milgram's original experimental results?