participant observation (or field research)
(Research Type)
a sociological research technique in which the researcher actually becomes simultaneously both participant in and observer of that which he or she studies
scientific method
research process of several steps including observation, hypothesis testing, analysis of data and drawing conclusions
deductive reasoning
Reasoning in which sociologists create a specific research question about a focused point based on a more general or universal principle
deductive
Because Catholic doctrine forbids abortion, Catholics would be less likely than other religious groups to support abortion rights."
This is an example of _________ reasoning
inductive reasoning
Reasoning that arrives at general conclusions from specific observations
inductive
Because most of the demonstrators protesting in front of a family planning clinic are evangelical Christians, you might infer that strongly-held religious beliefs are important in determining human behavior."
This is an example of _________ reasoning
question, design, gather, analyze, conclusions
Steps of a Research Design:
1) Developing a Research __________
2) Creating a Research _________
3) Gathering _______
4) _______ [term3]
5) Reaching & Reporting __________
literature review
Process involving reviewing existing studies on a subject, such as past research reports and articles
replication study
research that is repeated exactly, but on a different group of people or in a different time or place
casual
While it can also be extensive, sociological research questions can also come from _______ observation of human behavior
research design
the overall logic and strategy underlying a research project
can consist of questionnaires, interviews, direct observations in a setting/laboratory, analyzing cultural artifacts, etc.
quantitative, quantitative
Research that uses a numerical analysis/reduces the data into numbers is _________.
Research that allows for more interpretation and nuance is _________.
hypothesis
A prediction or a hunch, a tentative assumption that one intends to test.
Often formulated as if-then statements.
variable
a characteristic of a person or group that can have more than one value or score; can be relatively straightforward (e.g. age/income) or abstract (social class/degree of prejudice)
independent variable
A variable that the researcher wants to test as the presumed cause of something else
dependent variable
A variable for which there is a presumed effect.
False
True or false?
Correlation = Causation
intervening variables
variables that fall between the independent and dependent variables
concept
Any abstract characteristic or attribute that can potentially be measured via indicators (e.g. social class/social power)
indicator
something that points to/reflects an abstract concept (e.g. Human Development Index)
validity
the degree to which an indicator accurately measures/reflects a concept
NOTE: if two or more measures yield similar results, it is likely the measurements are an accurate depiction
reliability
The ability for a repeated experiment to yield the same result given the same circumstances
Hawthorne effect
Phenomenon under which subject who know they are being studied may change their behavior.
primary
When sociologists gather original material (e.g. questionnaires, observation notes, etc.) the product is ________ data
secondary
When sociologists rely on data that has already been gathered and organized by some other party, the product is __________ data
sample
Any subset of people (or groups/categories) of a population
population
a relatively large collection of people (or groups/categories) that a researcher studies about and about which generalizations are made
representative, generalize, biased
As long as a sample is ________ of the population as a whole, the researcher can ________ what they find.
Otherwise, the sample is ______.
random sample
A sampling that gives everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected.
data analysis
the process by which sociologists organize collected data to discover the patterns and uniformities that the data reveal.
serentipitous
A ___________ finding is something that emerges from a study that was not anticipated
generalization
The ability to draw conclusions from specific data and apply them to a broader population
return rate
percentage of questionnaires returned out of all those distributed or initially requested. If low, could represent a possible bias.
informant
a person with whom the participant observer works closely in order to learn about the group
covert
Participant observation in which the members of the group being studies do not know that they are being researched is a ________ observation.
controlled experiments
Kind of experiments that are useful for determining a pattern of cause and effect
content analysis
(Research Type)
A way of measuring by examining the cultural artifacts of what people write, say, see and hear.
change
content analysis is frequently used to measure cultural change
unobtrusive
Content analysis has the advantage of being ________. In other words, the research can have no effect at all on the person being studied.
historical
(Research Type)
________ research examines sociological themes over time.
oral
For historical research _______ themes are especially illuminating, particularly for groups that have been ignored or misrepresented in other historical accounts
evaluation research
Research that assesses the effect of policies and programs on people in society (called
policy research
if it is intended to produced program recommendations)value
surveys
(Research Type)
_________ are the most commonly used tools in sociological research
objective
Most sociologists do not claim to be value-free, but do try as best as they can to produce objective research
debriefing
researchers revealing the true purpose of an experiment only after it is completed
Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Study in which 400 black males were infected with syphilis and allowed to go untreated for over forty years
informed consent
getting agreement to participate from the respondents or subjects after the purposes of a study are explained in detail to them