Ch. 3 - Studying the Social World Flashcards
a sociologist who enters the everyday lives of those he or she studies in hopes of understanding how they navigate and give meaning to their worlds
ethnographers
the capacity to think systematically about how many things we experience as personal problems-for example, debt from student loans-are really social issues that are widely shared by others born in a similar time and social location as us. It involves taking into account how our individual lives are impacted by historical and social contexts
sociological imagination
a prediction researchers make that they will test in their research
hypothesis
a judgement about what is intrinsically important or meaningful. When it comes to research, values held by sociologists shape their views of and perspectives on the questions they ask
values
a conceptual framework or paradigm that sociologists use to imagine and make sense of the world
theoretical traditions
a set of guidelines that outlines what is considered moral and acceptable behavior in some context (such as within an organization or profession)
code of ethics
the voluntary participation of someone in a research project or medical treatment based on the participant/patient having a full understanding of possible risks and benefits involved
informed consent
required at all universities that receive federal funds for research, these boards review researchers proposals before any work can begin in order to assess the potential harm of the research for participants being studied
institutional review boards
Before conducting research, sociologists often come up with a prediction about what might be discovered by the research. This prediction is called a….
hypothesis
A sociologists supports marriage equality, and he decided to conduct a research project on marriage laws in each state. His support of marriage equality could also be called his…..
values
Which of the following illustrates a researcher obtaining informed consent?
a researcher describes the risks and benefits of participating in a study before enrolling the subject
Sociologists often use conceptual frameworks inherited from earlier scientists. These historical conceptual frameworks are called….
theoretical traditions
Which of the following scenarios depicts a researcher breaking an ethical code?
The researcher publishes the full names of participants along side the study in a research journal
when researchers define the methods and techniques to be used to assess and define the concepts that are being investigated
operationalize
the variable that fluctuates in relation to other “independent” variables. In research, the dependent variable is the object of explanation, or what the researcher is trying to explain
dependent variable
a factor that might help to explain some outcome of interest. An example might be the impact of educational level-in this case, the independent variable-on one’s income as an adult
independent variable
a step by step process of conducting research that begins with formulating a research hypothesis, then operationalizing variables, then collecting data, and finally drawing empirical and conceptual generalizations from the data
scientific method
research that relies on statistical analysis of numerical or categorical data
quantitative research
research that relies on nonnumerical data, such as words, observations, or pictures
qualitative
research that uses evidence that is both qualitative and quantitative
mixed-method research
a type of research in which information is derived by asking people to answer standardized questions, which may collect information about any aspect of human life of interest to the investigator, including information about jobs, employment, family life, health, education, and policy or political attitudes and values
survey
respondents are asked identical questions, and they are generally required to choose among the answers provided to them
closed-ended surveys
in which interviewees provide answers to questions in their own words
open ended surveys
a biennial survey of american society since 1972 covering a wide range of social, demographic, and attitudinal questions
general social survey
a method of collecting data based on asking a person a set of questions and having a conversation with him or her focused on gathering information related to the research
in-depth interviews
a qualitative research method for studying they way of life of a group of people by close observation of them over a relatively long period of time. Ethnography get inside the worlds they study, up-close and even as direct participants.
ethnography
a rich, detailed description of the ways people make sense of their lives
thick descriptions
a method of conducting ethnography that emphasizes the contribution of research to social theory. An ethnographer using the extended case method starts from a theoretical problem or puzzle
extended case method
a method of research that examines differences across countries or in different historical periods to try to understand what factors cause some specific change to occur
comparative historical research
research that focuses on explaining the differences between countries, such as understanding why some outcome is observed in one country and not another
cross-national comparisons
Jennifer is studying the effects of nutrition on student performance in school. She researches a group of students and finds that students who miss breakfast often do poorly during the school day. What is the dependent variable in this scenario?
student school performance
What relies on the statistical analysis of data?
quantitative research