Chapter 02: Sociological Research

Question 1

case study

Answer 1

in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual

Question 2

code of ethics

Answer 2

a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to
foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

Question 3

content analysis

Answer 3

applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand

Question 4

control group

Answer 4

an experimental group that is not exposed to the independent variable

Question 5

correlation

Answer 5

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does
not necessarily indicate causation

Question 6

dependent variables

Answer 6

changed by other variables

Question 7

empirical evidence

Answer 7

evidence corroborated by direct experience and/or observation

Question 8

ethnography

Answer 8

observing a complete social setting and all that it entails

Question 9

experiment

Answer 9

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

Question 10

field research

Answer 10

gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a
survey

Question 11

Hawthorne effect

Answer 11

when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher

Question 12

hypothesis

Answer 12

an educated guess with predicted outcomes about the relationship between two or
more variables

Question 13

independent variables

Answer 13

cause changes in dependent variables

Question 14

interpretive framework

Answer 14

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

Question 15

interview

Answer 15

a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject

Question 16

literature review

Answer 16

a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research

Question 17

nonreactive research

Answer 17

using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and
will not alter or influence people’s behaviors

Question 18

operational definitions

Answer 18

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

Question 19

participant observation

Answer 19

when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an “insider” perspective

Question 20

population

Answer 20

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

Question 21

primary data

Answer 21

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

Question 22

qualitative data

Answer 22

comprise information that is subjective and often based on what is seen in a natural setting

Question 23

quantitative data

Answer 23

represent research collected in numerical form that can be counted

Question 24

random sample

Answer 24

a study’s participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population

Question 25

reliability

Answer 25

a measure of a study’s consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced

Question 26

research design

Answer 26

a detailed, systematic method for conducting research and obtaining data

Question 27

sample

Answer 27

a small, manageable number of subjects that represents the population

Question 28

scientific method

Answer 28

an established scholarly research method that involves asking a question,researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting a study, and
drawing conclusions

Question 29

secondary data analysis

Answer 29

using data collected by others but applying new interpretations

Question 30

surveys

Answer 30

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about behaviors and
opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire

Question 31

validity

Answer 31

the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study

Question 32

value neutrality

Answer 32

a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of
a study and in publishing results