SOCI 1010 2.1 Approaches to Sociological Research

Question 1

scientific method

Answer 1

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 2

empirical evidence:

Answer 2

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

Question 3

literature review

Answer 3

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

Question 4

hypothesis

Answer 4

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

Question 5

independent variables (IV)

Answer 5

variables that cause changes in dependent variables

Question 6

dependent variable (DV)

Answer 6

a variable changed by other variables

Question 7

reliability

Answer 7

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

Question 8

accuracy

Answer 8

using a tool makes the measuring more precise.

Question 9

validity

Answer 9

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

Question 10

operational definitions

Answer 10

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

Question 11

interpretive framework

Answer 11

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