in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual
Case Study
a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology
Code of Ethics
applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand
Content Analysis
an experimental group that is not exposed to the independent variable
Control Group
when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does not necessarily indicate causation
Correlation
changed by other variables
Dependent Variables
evidence corroborated by direct experience and/or observation.
Empirical Evidence
observing a complete social setting and all that it entails
Ethnography
the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions
Experiment
gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a survey
Field Research
when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher
Hawthorne Effect
an educated guess with predicted outcomes about the relationship between two or more variables
Hypothesis
cause changes in dependent variables
Independent Variables
a sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing
Interpretive Framework
a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject
Interview
a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research
Literature Review
using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and will not alter or influence people's behaviors
Nonreactive Research
specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study
Operational Definitions
when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective
Participant Observations
a defined group serving as the subject of a study
Population
data that are collected directly from firsthand experience
Primary Data
comprise information that is subjective and often based on what is seen in a natural setting
Qualitative Data
represent research collected in numerical form that can be counted
Quantitative Data
a study's participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population
Random Sample
a measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
Reliability
a detailed, systematic method for conducting research and obtaining data
Research Design
small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population
Samples
an established scholarly research method that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting a study, and drawing conclusions
Scientific Method
using data collected by others but applying new interpretations
Secondary Data Analysis
collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about behaviors and opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire
Surveys
the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study
Validity
a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results
Value Neutrality