Midterm Flashcards
ordinal measure
A level of measurement describing
a variable with attributes we can rank-order
along some dimension
validity
A term describing a measure that accurately
reflects the concept it is intended to measure.
variables
Logical sets of attributes. The variable gender
is made of up of the attributes male and female
conflict paradigm
A paradigm that views human behavior as attempts to dominate others or avoid
being dominated by others.
theory
A systematic explanation for the observations
that relate to a particular aspect of life: juvenile
delinquency, for example, or perhaps social
stratification or political revolution.VD8���
critical race theory
A paradigm grounded in race awareness and an intention to achieve racial justice.o measure.
replication
Repeating a research study to test
and either confirm or question the findings of an
earlier study.ers.
critical realism
A paradigm that holds things are
real insofar as they produce effects
nomothetic
An approach to explanation in which
we seek to identify a few causal factors that generally
impact a class of conditions or events. Imagine
the two or three key factors that determine which
colleges students choose proximity, reputation,
and so forth.
feminist paradigms
Paradigms that (a) view and
understand society through the experiences of
women and/or (b) examine the generally deprived
status of women in society
methodology
The science of finding out; procedures
for scientific investigation
hypothesis
It is a
statement of something that ought to be observed
in the real world if the theory is correct.
induction
The logical model in which general
principles are developed from specific observations.
interest convergence
The thesis that majority
group members will only support the interests of
minorities when those actions also support the
interests of the majority group.
independent variable
A variable with values
that are not problematic in an analysis but are
taken as simply given
macrotheory
A theory aimed at understanding
the �big picture� of institutions, whole societies,
and the interactions among societies
idiographic
An approach to explanation in which
we seek to exhaust the idiosyncratic causes of a
particular condition or event.eties
microtheory
A theory aimed at understanding
social life at the intimate level of individuals
and their interactions
epistemology
the science of knowing; systems of
knowledge.
null hypothesis
(1) In connection with hypothesis
testing and tests of statistical significance, that hypothesis that suggests there is no relationship
among the variables under stu
dependent variable
variable assumed to
depend on or be caused by another (called the
independent variable).iven
deduction
The logical model in which specific expectations
of hypotheses are developed on the basis
of general principles
operationalization
Operationalization is the process of
developing operational definitions, or specifying
the exact operations involved in measuring
a variable.
attributes
Characteristics of people or thinge
paradigm
model or frame of reference
through which to observe and understand.
agreement reality
Those things we know as part of the culture we share with those around us.
positivism
Introduced by August Comte, this
philosophical system is grounded on the rational
proof/disproof of scientifi c assertions; assumes a
knowable, objective reality
symbolic interactionism
paradigm that views
human behavior as the creation of meaning through
social interactions, with those meanings conditioning
subsequent interactions.
cohort study
study in which some specific subpopulation,
or cohort, is studied over time, although
data may be collected from different members in
each set of observations.ty
structural functionalism
paradigm that divides
social phenomena into parts, each of which serves
a function for the operation of the whole.
correlation
An empirical relationship between
two variables such that (a) changes in one are associated
with changes in the other or (b) particular
attributes of one variable are associated with
particular attributes of the other.
postmodernism
paradigm that questions the assumptions
of positivism and theories describing an
�objective� reality.principle
cross-sectional study
study based on observations
representing a single point in time.
longitudinal study
study design involving the
collection of data at different points in time, as contrasted
with a cross-sectional study
conceptualization
The mental process whereby
fuzzy and imprecise notions (concepts) are made
more specific and precise.principle
ecological fallacy
Erroneously drawing conclusions
about individuals solely from the observation of
groups.
construct validity
The degree to which a measure
relates to other variables as expected within a
system of theoretical relationship study
trend study
A type of longitudinal study in which
a given characteristic of some population is monitored
over time.
content validity
The degree to which a measure
covers the range of meanings included within a concepts
spurious relationship
A coincidental statistical
correlation between two variables, shown to be
caused by some third variable.nciple
criterion-related validity
The degree to which a
measure relates to some external criterion.
sociobiology
paradigm based in the view that
social behavior can be explained solely in terms of
genetic characteristics and behavior.
dimension
specifiable aspect of a concept. Religion
for example, might be specified in terms of
a belief dimension,
social artifact
Any product of social beings or their
behavior. Can be a unit of analysis.
face validity
That quality of an indicator that
makes it seem a reasonable measure of some variable
reductionism
A fault of some researchers: a
strict limitation (reduction) of the kinds of concepts
to be considered relevant to the phenomenon
under study.
indicator
An observation that we choose to consider
as a reflection of a variable we wish to study.
panel study
A type of longitudinal study, in which
data are collected from the same set of people (the
sample or panel) at several points in time
interval measure
A level of measurement describing
a variable whose attributes are rank-ordered
and have equal distances between adjacent attributes.
units of analysis
The what or whom being studied.
In social science research, the most typical units of
analysis are individual people
nominal measure
variable whose attributes have only the characteristics of exhaustiveness and
mutual exclusiveness. In other words, a level of
measurement describing a variable that has attributes
that are merely different, as distinguished
from ordinal, interval, or ratio measures.
ratio measure
A level of measurement describing a
variable with attributes that have all the qualities
of nominal, ordinal, and interval measures and in
addition are based on a true zero point
specification
The process through which
concepts are made more specific
specification
The process through which
concepts are made more specific.
