Chapter 3: Social Science Skills and Methods

Question 1

Define informants.

Answer 1

members of a cultural group who provide information to social scientists who study the group

Question 2

Define reliable.

Answer 2

the term describing an experiment or observation that, if repeated, produces exactly the same result

Question 3

Define reflexivity.

Answer 3

the practice by anthropologists of analyzing their own thought process & belief structures to understand how these affect how they interpret their observations

Question 4

Describe the process of the inquiry with an example.

Answer 4

• Problem: I feel sick
• Hypothesis: I have the flu
• Gather Data: Go to the doctor and get a check up
• Analyze Data: Doctors checks throat, ears, asks questions
• Conclusion: No, you do not have the flu, you have food poisoning.

Question 5

Define and explain participant observation.

Answer 5

• the anthropological method of study in which a researcher lives with a cultural group for an extended period to obtain an insider’s understanding of the group.
• The researcher makes detailed notes about what occurs & draws conclusions.
• The method of research (ex. survey, interviews, psychological testing) is specific to the context of the subject group.

Question 6

Define and explain challenges in fieldwork.

Answer 6

• Fieldwork is laborious & challenging especially in unfamiliar conditions with different climates, dietary practices &/or hygiene standards.
• Anthropologists studying in foreign countries, inner cities or isolated areas face these challenges.

Question 7

What is the difference between vague notes and concrete notes?

Answer 7

Vague Notes: Provide a sketchy description of an incident including the occurrences & who was involved. These notes are not very useful for drawing conclusions.
Concrete Notes:Describe all necessary elements: the tone of the incident, who was involved, locations, dialogue, physical actions & the conclusion.

Question 8

Define causal theories.

Answer 8

theories in which one variable is claimed to be cause of another variable

Question 9

Define consequential theories.

Answer 9

theories that try to predict what will change in the second variable when the first is changed.

Question 10

How do statistics become theory?

Answer 10

• When sociologists identify trends or change, they try to explain a hypothesis with causal theories or consequential theories
• Ex. Hypothesis: The death penalty is an effective deterrent to murder. The independent variable is the death penalty, and the dependant variable is the homicide rates because these rates do not affect the death penalty.
• Sociologists must be sensitive to intervening variables when researching. These variables and their effects must be identified for research conclusions to be valid.

Question 11

Define intervening variable.

Answer 11

a factor that causes difficulty in making a link between two other variables.