Exam 1: Doing Social Research

Briefly describe each of the steps involved in conducting a research project.Discuss how "fixed" the steps are and the implications of this for a person undertaking research.

A tendency to assume that a person or source with a strong reputation or in a high-status position is automatically correct,instead of carefully evaluating the quality of information offered,is called

What is social research? What are some alternative sources of knowledge? What distinguishes social research from these alternatives?

Which of the following statements is NOT true of tradition as an alternative source of knowledge?

Describe the following types of errors: premature closure,overgeneralization,selective observation,and halo effect.

Define the following:qualitative interview

The majority of the scientific community's core members are employed in

Existing statistics research

Define the following:panel study

Describe the differences between exploratory,descriptive,and explanatory research.

Who coined the term "public sociology"?

Define the following:focus group

Roger works at a retirement home and is very familiar with its residents,all of whom are 65 years of age or older.Roger observes that residents between 65 and 74 years of age are the unhappiest,residents between 75 and 84 years of age are moderately happy,and residents between 85 and 100 years of age are the happiest.Rogers concludes that people,in general,grow happier as they age.The error Roger committed is called

Define the following:historical research

Define the following:academic social research

All of the following statements apply to surveys,EXCEPT which one?

A type of data-collection technique that most closely follows the logic and principles of natural science,in which researchers create situations and examine their effects on participants,is called

Identify and briefly explain what is entailed by two quantitative data collection techniques and two qualitative data collection techniques.

Which best summarizes the main goal of descriptive research?

__________ is a special case of authority,which is derived from the way things have been.