chapter 2

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 scholarly data as it relates to the study at hand

Question 4

correlation

Answer 4

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

Question 5

debunking

Answer 5

looking beyond the obvious to expose falseness by examining merit, logic, and evidence

Question 6

dependent variables

Answer 6

a variable changed by other variables

Question 7

empirical evidence

Answer 7

evidence that comes from direct observations, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation

Question 8

ethnography

Answer 8

participating and observing thinking and behavior in a social setting

Question 9

experiment

Answer 9

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

a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables

Question 13

independent variables

Answer 13

variables that 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 (not hypothesis!!)

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

non reactive research

Answer 17

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

Question 18

operational definitions

Answer 18

specific examples 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

non numerical, descriptive data that is often subjective and based on what is experienced in a natural setting

Question 23

quantitative data

Answer 23

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed using statistics

Question 24

random sample

Answer 24

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

Question 25

random sample

Answer 25

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

Question 26

reliability

Answer 26

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

Question 27

samples

Answer 27

small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population

Question 28

scientific method

Answer 28

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

Question 29

secondary data analysis

Answer 29

using data collected by others and applying new interpretations

Question 30

surveys

Answer 30

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about thinking, 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 imparcial, without bias or judgement during the course of a study and in publishing results

Question 33

tuskegee experiment

Answer 33

study in which african american men with syphillis went untreated to test how it would affect them

Question 34

henrietta lacks

Answer 34

cells taken from ms lacks without her knowledge, used in research

Question 35

milgram experiment

Answer 35

study meaning to test willingness of participants to obey authority, emotional distress faced by teachers in study

Question 36

stanford prison experiment

Answer 36

prisionera and guards, participants instructed to act in specific and violent ways

Question 37

laud humphreys

Answer 37

pretended to seek homosexual encounters while studying demographics

Question 38

meta analysis

Answer 38

all previous study’s results compiled

Question 39

institutional ethnography

Answer 39

an extension of basic ethnography that focuses on everyday, concrete relationships

Question 40

max weber

Answer 40

personal values should not shape the design or interpretation