Full file at CHAPTER 2 Asking and Answering Sociological Questions

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1 CHAPTER 2 Asking and Answering Sociological Questions MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. When Laud Humphreys studied the hidden world of the tearoom trade, his research: a. included participant observation and survey methods b. allowed him to separate himself completely from the activities of his subjects so that he could remain objective c. revealed nothing people didn t already know about through their own casual observations d. all of the above e. none of the above A REF: Pages TOP: Applied 2. Research questions that relate and contrast one social context with others are questions. a. factual or empirical b. comparative c. theoretical d. developmental e. none of the above B REF: Page 29 TOP: Factual 3. What type of research is involved when a researcher studies the frequency of unmarried-couple households in the past three censuses and presents an explanation of the changes? a. factual b. comparative c. developmental d. theoretical e. speculative B REF: Page 29 TOP: Applied 4. Questions that concern how things occur and involve a collection of facts are called ; questions that concern why they occur and involve the interpretation of facts are called. a. empirical; theoretical b. empirical; comparative c. theoretical; empirical d. theoretical; comparative e. comparative; developmental A REF: Page 29 TOP: Factual 5. All research begins with: a. a hypothesis b. conclusions

2 c. the research design d. a research problem e. a review of existing evidence D REF: Page 30 TOP: Factual 6. Good, puzzle-solving research: a. seeks to fill a gap in our understanding b. seeks to go beyond mere descriptions of what is happening c. seeks to contribute to our understanding of why things happen the way they do d. all of the above e. none of the above D REF: Page 30 TOP: Applied 7. Which of these is the prerequisite to good sociological research? a. good sociological questions b. good sociological answers c. an advanced degree from a prestigious university d. a funding source from outside the university e. all of the above A REF: Page 30 TOP: Applied 8. Once a researcher has identified a research problem, she then prepares a(n): a. hypothesis b. review of existing evidence c. interpretation of results d. appropriate research design e. report of the findings B REF: Page 30 TOP: Applied 9. Which step in the research process may involve formulation of a definite hypothesis? a. defining the research problem b. reviewing the available evidence c. making the problem precise d. developing an appropriate research design e. reporting the findings C REF: Page 31 TOP: Applied 10. What is the final step in a research project? a. developing a hypothesis b. reviewing the existing evidence c. interpreting the results d. developing an appropriate research design e. reporting the findings E REF: Pages TOP: Factual 11. If one event or situation produces another, the two are said to have a:

3 a. hypothesis b. causal relationship c. methodology d. symbolic interaction e. theoretical approach B REF: Page 32 TOP: Factual 12. A is any dimension along which individuals or groups vary. a. causation b. correlation c. variable d. control e. parallel universe C REF: Page 32 TOP: Factual 13. A relationship between variables is known as a: a. causation b. correlation c. variable d. control e. parallel universe B REF: Page 32 TOP: Factual 14. There are many different kinds of variables. A variable that produces an effect on another variable is called a(n): a. correlative variable b. dependent variable c. independent variable d. conceptual variable e. theoretical variable C REF: Page 33 TOP: Factual 15. The better the grades Sheri gets in school, the better paying job she is likely to get. In this example, grades are the variable and occupational income is the variable. a. causative; correlative b. dependent; independent c. independent; dependent d. hypothetical; control e. None of the above; there is no relationship between grades and income. C REF: Page 33 TOP: Conceptual 16. Variables that are held constant in order to test the effects of other variables are known as: a. correlative variables b. dependent variables c. independent variables

4 d. control variables e. tester variables D REF: Page 33 TOP: Factual 17. Which research method would give a rich, detailed, inside view of a particular group, setting, or subculture? a. ethnography b. survey c. life history d. experiment e. comparative historical analysis A REF: Page 34 TOP: Factual 18. Which of the following statements best reflects an advantage of fieldwork as a research method? a. It provides richer information about social situations than other methods. b. It allows us to see a situation from the inside of a particular group. c. It gives the researcher greater flexibility to adjust to different situations. d. all of the above e. none of the above D REF: Pages TOP: Conceptual 19. What is one of the most difficult parts of fieldwork? a. selecting a random sample b. gaining the trust of the subjects of the study c. finding sufficient archival sources d. writing the standardized questionnaire e. None of the above; there are no difficulties in fieldwork. B REF: Pages TOP: Applied 20. Which research method would be best to use if one wanted a large, representative sample of people s attitudes toward an issue? a. ethnography b. survey c. life history d. experiment e. comparative historical analysis B REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 21. Which type of questionnaire provides respondents with a set of questions to which only a fixed-choice or limited set of responses is allowed? a. fieldwork b. experimental c. standardized d. open-ended e. despondent

5 C REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 22. Which type of questionnaire allows respondents to give their own answers to questions, thus providing more detail and allowing researchers to ask follow-up questions? a. historical analysis b. experimental c. standardized d. open-ended e. despondent D REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 23. What is a pilot study? a. a study of people who fly airplanes b. a trial run of a survey to find potential problems with the questionnaire c. the final version of a questionnaire d. a study conducted by licensed researchers e. none of the above B REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 24. A is a smaller proportion of a larger group selected for study. a. population b. control group c. sample d. standardized group e. none of the above C REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 25. For a sample to accurately reflect the characteristics of the study population, it must be: a. representative b. democratic c. public d. open-ended e. standardized A REF: Pages TOP: Factual 26. A sample is chosen in such a way that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. This process is called: a. standardized sampling b. open-ended sampling c. field sampling d. controlled sampling e. random sampling E REF: Page 35 TOP: Factual 27. Which of the following describes an advantage of survey research? a. Results can be easily quantified and analyzed.

6 b. It allows us to see a situation from inside a particular group. c. It provides richer detail about a population than other methods. d. all of the above e. none of the above A REF: Page 36 TOP: Applied 28. What research method tests hypotheses under highly controlled conditions? a. fieldwork b. experiment c. survey d. historical analysis e. life history B REF: Page 37 TOP: Factual 29. Studying a period of the recent past by interviewing people who witnessed events makes use of: a. experiment b. random sampling c. life histories d. all of the above e. none of the above C REF: Page 40 TOP: Applied 30. Sociologists engage in historical analysis because: a. a time perspective is frequently needed to make sense of a research problem b. sociology is ill-equipped to study the modern world c. survey research and fieldwork are inadequate research methods d. a good sociologist must also be a good historian e. societies were more complex in the nineteenth century A REF: Page 40 TOP: Conceptual 31. The use of two or more methods of research to verify results is called: a. scientology b. standard deviation c. correlation coefficient d. triangulation e. open-ended surveying D REF: Page 42 TOP: Factual 32. The results of sociological research often become widely known in society, thus affecting the social life sociologists study. This interaction between sociological research and human behavior is known as a relation. a. human b. control c. standardized d. reflexive

7 e. correlated D REF: Page 44 TOP: Factual 33. In sociological research, various ways of calculating averages are called: a. correlations b. controls c. measures of central tendency d. measures of mediocrity e. standard deviations C REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 34. The measure of how much one variable relates to another in a consistent way is the: a. correlation coefficient b. measure of central tendency c. standard deviation d. standard of conformity e. mode A REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 35. If you add all the numbers in a series of data, then divide by the number of cases, you have calculated the: a. mean b. median c. mode d. standard deviation e. correlation coefficient A REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 36. What is the most frequent figure in a series of numbers called? a. mean b. median c. mode d. standard deviation e. correlation coefficient C REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 37. What do statisticians call the middle number in a series? a. mean b. median c. mode d. standard deviation e. correlation coefficient B REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 38. What calculation gives a researcher a good idea of the range of a series of figures? a. mean

8 b. median c. mode d. standard deviation e. correlation coefficient D REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 39. If two variables were completely correlated, their correlation coefficient would be: a. 0 b. 1 c. 10 d. 100 e. nonexistent B REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 40. What should be your first step when reading a table? a. Scan all of the information on the page to try and concentrate the data provided. b. Read the footnotes; they contain the most important information. c. Read the full title; it is the researcher s attempt to describe the data in the table. d. Create a theory about the subject so it can be tested against the data provided. e. Read the headings on the table; they ll provide information about the content. C REF: Page 46 TOP: Applied 41. Which of the following statistical terms refers to the mathematical average? a. mean b. mode c. median d. standard deviation e. middle A REF: Page 45 TOP: Factual 42. What does activities in a public bathroom are socially constructed mean? a. The architecture of a public bathroom influences the activities that take place within. b. Activities in a public bathroom are influenced solely by the sex of the occupant. c. What bathrooms are used for depends on the occupants of the bathroom. d. Women s public bathrooms are now made larger than men s to accommodate the traditionally social nature of women s bathroom visits. e. none of the above C REF: Page 28 TOP: Applied 43. Which of the following is an example of the social construction of bathroom behavior? a. women meeting in the bathroom to talk about their dates b. gay men meeting to engage in sexual activity c. girls sharing makeup secrets while combing their hair d. men changing their children s diapers. e. all of the above

9 E REF: Page 28 TOP: Conceptual 44. Which of the following theoretical approaches would most likely interpret the activity described in Laud Humphreys s research on the so-called tearoom trade as a legitimate reaction to a homophobic society? a. feminist b. Marxist c. functionalist d. interactionist e. rational choice E REF: Page 28 TOP: Conceptual 45. What statement best describes why the findings in the textbook are more significant than the opinions of groups of citizens at a town hall meeting? a. Town hall meetings are an American tradition and could not be replicated in another country. b. The findings in the book reflect a variety of personal experiences, not the limited experience of the attendees at a town hall meeting. c. Other sociologists have investigated the findings throughout the textbook to confirm their accuracy. d. The findings in the book are based on research rather than the personal experiences of attendees at town hall meetings. e. Sociologists reject the common sense provided by town hall meetings and prefer to use their own opinions. D REF: Pages TOP: Conceptual 46. What kind of research question best describes a study comparing the patterns of inheritance among the Rockefeller family during the early twentieth century and the patterns of inheritance among the Kennedy family in the latter part of the twentieth century? a. factual b. comparative c. developmental d. theoretical e. experimental C REF: Page 29 TOP: Conceptual 47. Why is theory a necessary component of sociological research? a. Theory provides an important context for the research. b. Theory is what makes the research intellectual. c. Theory is necessary for publication. d. Theory is what makes sociological research a science. e. None of the above; theory is superfluous to sociological research. A REF: Page 29 TOP: Applied 48. Given what you learned in high school about scientific research, in what way does the sociological research process differ from that of physics? a. Physicists use a scientific process which, unlike sociological research, doesn t rely

10 on theory. b. There is little difference in the processes that are employed by physicists or sociologists. c. Sociologists study mental states, whereas physicists study particles. d. Physicists are usually employed by private corporations, whereas sociologists work only at universities. e. The differences between the research processes of physicists and sociologists are far too vast to list. B REF: Pages TOP: Conceptual 49. Before researchers publish their findings, they need to: a. determine whether there is an issue that requires a deeper understanding b. spend time learning the current state of knowledge about their research interest c. decide how to gather information about their subject d. gather information about their research interest e. all of the above E REF: Pages TOP: Applied 50. The 55-mph speed limit was introduced in the United States in Shortly thereafter the number of auto accidents declined. We can conclude that: a. the reduced speed limit caused the decline in auto accidents b. the reduced speed limit may have contributed to the decline in the number of auto accidents c. the reduced speed limit and the number of auto accidents are causally related d. the reduced speed limit had nothing to do with the decline in auto accidents e. auto manufacturers created safety features to decrease the number of auto accidents B REF: Pages TOP: Applied 51. Following the popularity of MTV there was a decrease in the age at which young women had their first sexual relationship. Thus: a. displays of sexual relationships on television caused young women to have sex at an earlier stage in their development b. the role models displayed on MTV caused people to have sex at an earlier age c. if there were fewer displays of sexual relationships on television, there would be an increase in the age at which young women would have their first sexual relationship d. none of the above e. all of the above D REF: Pages TOP: Applied 52. The more education you have, the greater your earning potential. The preceding sentence represents a: a. causal relationship b. correlation between two variables c. participant observation d. control mechanism

11 e. representative relationship B REF: Page 32 TOP: Applied 53. What is the dependent variable in the following hypothesis? If college students live with their parents, the students are less likely to engage in binge drinking than if they live in the dormitory. a. college students b. parental supervision c. binge drinking d. dormitory life e. college life C REF: Page 33 TOP: Applied 54. What kind of research method would be best suited if you were hired by a real estate company to learn how the residents in a gated community feel about racial desegregation? a. participant observation b. comparative research c. historical analysis d. surveys and interviews e. fieldwork D REF: Pages TOP: Applied 55. Which of the following methods could be used by sociologists to study homeless people? a. quantitative analysis b. qualitative analysis c. microsociological analysis d. macrosociological analysis e. all of the above E REF: Pages TOP: Factual 56. The term used to describe the interconnectedness between sociology and human social relationships is: a. reflexivity b. causation c. statistical analysis d. modal configuration e. trend analysis A REF: Page 44 TOP: Factual 57. Who said men make their own history... but they do not make it under conditions of their own choice? a. Anthony Giddens b. Mitch Snyder c. C. Wright Mills d. Elliot Liebow e. Christopher Jencks

12 C REF: Page 42 TOP: Factual 58. How did C. Wright Mills bring the sociological imagination to the American public? a. He used plain, everyday language to explain complex ideas, published articles in popular magazines, and gave public speeches. b. He wrote for college-level students to ensure that his theories would be familiar to the educated public. c. He joined the New Left and participated in antiwar protests. d. He did numerous television interviews to explain his theory. e. He wrote multiple letters to a variety of news sources for publication. A REF: Page 43 TOP: Factual 59. Cawo s research question is, What impact does age have on income? What is Cawo s dependent variable? a. age b. impact c. income d. ageism e. forced retirement C REF: Page 33 TOP: Factual 60. Factual investigations are based on the premise that: a. the data are empirical b. sociologists must examine all previous forms of society c. the data are theoretical d. it need not be relevant to real-world concerns e. all of the above A REF: Page 29 TOP: Factual 61. The strongest sociological research begins with problems that: a. detail factual evidence b. are puzzles, meaning a gap in our understanding c. answer socially pertinent questions d. review the evidence e. all of the above B REF: Page 30 TOP: Factual 62. Puzzle-solving research attempts to: a. answer the question/questions posed in the research problem b. figure out what happened in the past c. illuminate why events happen as they do d. develop answers to questions that stand alone e. prove previous research to be correct or incorrect C REF: Page 30 TOP: Factual 63. The second step in the research process is to:

13 a. make the problem precise b. develop answers that stand alone c. interpret the data using sociological theory d. review the evidence and related research e. formulate a hypothesis D REF: Page 30 TOP: Factual 64. Reviewing the evidence involves: a. reviewing the research problems that previous researchers have left unanalyzed b. reviewing related research c. examining how previous researchers approached the problem under study d. All of the above are steps that are necessary to properly review the evidence. e. None of these steps are necessary in reviewing the evidence. D REF: Pages TOP: Factual 65. The stage at which sociological researchers may formulate hypotheses is when they are: a. identifying a research problem b. developing a research design c. clearly formulating the research problem d. reviewing the evidence e. reporting the findings C REF: Page 31 TOP: Factual 66. More often than not, many sociological research projects: a. provide the public with clear cut and definitive answers to the research problem b. allow us to use anecdotal information to illuminate social processes c. are not as conclusive as we would like and are open for further research questions and problems d. researching clear and precise answers tends to be the least complicated part of the research process e. end up influencing the behavior of subjects rather than observing it C REF: Pages TOP: Applied 67. Sociological research indicates there is a significant correlation between level of education attainment and occupational success. Identify the causal mechanism for this correlation. a. positive parental attitudes toward education and such tools as books and computers for learning in the home b. up-to-date school facilities and well-educated teachers c. positive peer associations d. the overall school experience e. the overall work experience A REF: Pages TOP: Applied 68. What is one mechanism sociologists use to discover whether a correlation between variables is a causal connection? a. sampling

14 b. causal relationship c. causal mechanism d. controls e. identifying cause D REF: Page 33 TOP: Factual 69. Ethnography involves firsthand studies of people and uses: a. life histories b. participant observation c. pilot studies d. intricate sampling procedures e. fieldwork B REF: Page 34 TOP: Factual 70. Recently social scientists using participant observation have written about how their race, class, gender, and sexual orientation: a. affect their research due to power differences b. did not affect the research process c. allowed many researchers to go native d. allowed them to be completely objective about their work e. forced their work to be subjective A REF: Page 34 TOP: Applied 71. Using participant observation in the sociological research process involves: a. establishing a formal relationship with the leaders and members of the group b. great skill and sensitivity in gaining the trust and confidence of numerous members of the group and/or community under study c. little interaction with the group members or leaders, just observation d. the researcher losing the perspective of an outside observer through his or her relationship with the group e. creating a formal boundary between the researcher and the group B REF: Page 34 TOP: Applied 72. The Polish Peasant in Europe and America, by W. I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki, is an example of: a. ethnography b. participant observation c. experiment d. life histories e. survey research D REF: Page 40 TOP: Factual 73. The scope of experimentation is much smaller in sociology than in the natural sciences. Why is this? a. Sociological researchers can only bring small groups into a laboratory setting, and people may behave unnaturally because they are being watched.

15 b. Sociological researchers can control all of the conditions, making experiments more laborious for them. c. It is exceptionally difficult to find willing participants who meet the criteria of sociological studies. d. There is not enough statistical data to gather while conducting experiments. e. Sociological researchers exercise unconscious prejudices while choosing experiment subjects. A REF: Pages 37, 40 TOP: Applied 74. A classic experiment in social science research involved setting up a make-believe jail and randomly assigning male student volunteers to the roles of guards and prisoners. The researcher concluded that: a. students had a very difficult time assuming their assigned role due to maturity b. because students could not imagine what it is like to be in a prison situation, they were unable to carry out their assigned duties c. behavior in prisons is more influenced by the nature of the prison setting than the individual characteristics of those in prison d. because prisoners became overly hostile toward the guards, the experiment had to be canceled early e. behavior in prisons is more influenced by individual characteristics of those in prison than the nature of the prison setting C REF: Page 40 TOP: Applied 75. Theda Skocpol s States and Social Revolutions: a. drew on numerous documents, official and unofficial, over a short period of time b. applied comparative research in a historical context that examined social change of revolutions c. illustrated that enlisted men often ignored the commands of their officers d. was an illuminating experiment that could not be conducted today under more stringent federal regulations e. showed that social transformation is more common in a time of war than peace B REF: Page 41 TOP: Factual 76. All sociological research imposes some sort of: a. ethical dilemmas that could possibly have a negative effect on the subjects involved b. risk to the sociologist as someone could accuse the researcher of being biased c. need to use survey methods d. need for social transformation e. historical analysis on present-day culture A REF: Pages TOP: Applied 77. American universities require a review of all research that involves human subjects. This has had an effect on sociological research in what way? a. Researchers are more attuned to the ethical dilemmas encountered when using human subjects in research. b. The reviews include a clause making it mandatory for researchers to pay their

16 subjects. c. Once the project has been approved, subjects are much more likely to participate because the university pays them a stipend. d. The reviews allow more people to have knowledge of sociological research. e. Research reviews are posted publicly so that industry professionals and laymen can decide if they re ethical. A REF: Page 44 TOP: Applied TRUE/FALSE 1. The results of sociological research often challenge our commonsense beliefs. T REF: Page If you observe a correlation, you have observed causation. F REF: Page Sociologists can never be sure they have covered all possible causes in a correlation. T REF: Page A disadvantage of participant observation is that only small groups or communities can be studied this way. T REF: Page The only valid way to study a large population is to include every member of the population in the study group. F REF: Page Life histories often use sources like newspapers and contemporary descriptions to supplement the subject s account. T REF: Page The results of sociological research often become so widely known that people consider that knowledge to be common sense. T REF: Page To study the homeless, you must actually live among them. F REF: Page The private lives of individuals are formed in part by the historical conditions in which they live.

17 T REF: Page A dependent variable produces an effect on another variable. F REF: Page The three main methods used in sociological research are ethnography, survey, and experiment. T REF: Page The mode and the mean are both measures of central tendency. T REF: Page Drawing on other researchers ideas helps the sociologist clarify relevant issues and appropriate research methods. T REF: Pages It is uncommon for practical difficulties to occur in sociological research. F REF: Page Sociological research involves following fixed schemes to ensure accurate findings. F REF: Page Sociological fieldwork is seldom, if ever, physically dangerous. F REF: Page By employing the method of ethnography it is possible for sociologists to study large, complex groups and/or societies. F REF: Page All American universities review all research that involves human subjects. T REF: Page 44 ESSAY 1. Discuss the types of questions a sociologist might ask when conducting each of the following research types: factual, comparative, developmental, and theoretical. Give an example of each.

18 2. What research methods did Humphreys employ when studying the tearoom trade? Why was this an appropriate research strategy? Detail the advantages and disadvantages of his research design. 3. List the steps in the scientific research process and discuss what happens in each step. 4. What is meant by the statement scientific knowledge is a cumulative process? How does this accumulation take place? Is there just an addition of new knowledge on top of old knowledge, or does refinement also take place? Explain. 5. What is a causal relationship? What is a correlation? What, if any, is the difference between causation and correlation? 6. Which method or methods would most likely provide evidence of causation? Why? 7. Which method or methods would most likely show evidence of correlation between variables? Would that be conclusive evidence of causation? Explain. 8. A sociologist wishes to gain insight into street-vendor activities in a major American city. What research method would probably be best to use in such a study? Why? 9. Would it ever be desirable to use more than one method in a study? Explain.

19 10. Is it ever appropriate for a sociologist to conduct research on subjects who do not know that they are being studied? Explain. 11. Compare and contrast three research methods. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? Pick a topic and write a research question using each of the three methods. 12. Describe any ethical dilemmas Laud Humphreys may have encountered while undertaking his seminal research that resulted in the publication of Tearoom Trade.