Exam 5: Designing a Study

The worldwide "Great Depression" of the 1930s was caused by Michael Moneybags,a prominent New York Stock broker,who suffered from severe paranoia and told six wealthy friends to sell their stocks no matter what the price when he heard of a European bank going bankrupt in October 1929.Which logical error in causal explanation is presented in this explanation of the Great Depression?

Give an example of a spurious relationship and draw a diagram of the links among variables.

Define the following:Simpson's paradox

A researcher using "The Logic of Disconfirming Hypotheses" uses two different hypotheses.What are they? Why is negative evidence considered stronger?

Define the following:independent variable

Which of the following terms designates an error made when assumptions about individuals are made based on aggregate data?

Define the following:unit of analysis

State a hypothesis with an independent,dependent,and intervening variable.What are the units of analysis and levels of analysis of the hypothesis? Draw a diagram showing the relationship.

How does a qualitative researcher assign significance or a coherent meaning to something?

Researchers rarely explicitly define their levels and units of analysis.Nevertheless,it is important to distinguish between the two.Define "levels" of analysis,list the levels of analysis,and provide examples of what they might encompass.Likewise,define units of analysis and provide some examples of common units of analysis in sociological research.

Restate the following in terms of a hypothesis with independent and dependent variables: "The number of kilometers a person drives in a year affects the number of visits a person makes to gasoline filling stations,and there is a positive unidirectional relationship between the variables." What is the unit of analysis for the hypothesis?

Variables and attributes are two different things,but they are often confused by new members of the research community.Explain the difference between a variable and an attribute.Why is it easy to confuse variable with attributes? Use an example to illustrate your answers.

Which of the following orientations corresponds to the micro level of analysis?

Define the following:spuriousness

Provide an example of a good versus a bad research question on abortion in Canada.Explain why each is an example of a good versus a bad question.

Use the following model for the questions that follow:X → Y → Z The intervening variable is

Define the following:alternative hypothesis

Define the following:ecological fallacy

When does a qualitative researcher focus a study into a specific research question?

Use the following model for the questions that follow:X → Y → Z The dependent variable is