Exam 2: Sociological Investigation

A researcher doing participant observation may often "break in" to a setting more easily with the help of a

The very act of observing people may affect their behavior.

Examine the following series of numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10.What is the median value?

What term refers to any change in a subject's behavior that is caused by the awareness of being studied?

From a research point of view, what is the problem with the question, "Do you think that the government should spend less on defense and spend more on health care?"

The sociologist who called on his colleagues to be "value-free" in the conduct of their research was

A variable that is changed by another variable is called the "independent variable."

Interpretive sociology focuses less on action itself and more on the meaning people attach to their actions.

Why is it necessary for researchers to understand the social characteristics of the people they are studying? What problems could arise if a researcher started to study the Amish, Korean Americans, or some other distinctive category of people and had no understanding of their way of life?

A theory states that increasing a person's formal higher education results in increased earnings over the individual's lifetime.In this theory, "higher education" is the

A random sample is likely to represent the population from which it is drawn.

How does inductive logical thought differ from deductive logical thought? How can a researcher benefit from using both kinds of thinking?

Qualitative research has special appeal to investigators who favor which theoretical approach?