terms from lectures

Question 1

grounded theory

Answer 1

An approach to the analysis of qualitative data in which the goal is to use the data to generate theory; the data collection and analysis proceed in an iterative (recursive) fashion.

Question 2

middle range theory

Answer 2

limited in scope and can be tested using empirical evidence.

Question 3

grand theory

Answer 3

general and abstract. provide ways of looking at the world that can be an inspiration for research.

Question 4

3 categories of epistemology

Answer 4

1. positivism. (empirical, testable, science = value free.)
2. interpretivism. (critique of positivism, focuses on subjective meaning.)
3. critical approach. (also critique of positivism, science =/= value free.)

Question 5

ontology

Answer 5

branch of metaphysics dealing with study of being.

Question 6

epistemology

Answer 6

study of knowledge and how it is acquired.

Question 7

2 ontological perspectives

Answer 7

1. objective. (reality is objective, outside of perception.)
2. constructionist. (reality is set of mental constructions.)

Question 8

reflexivity

Answer 8

researcher’s awareness that values, decisions, biases, and presence impact the research. want to make bias explicit; reflexive on process.

Question 9

response set

Answer 9

A term for the tendency for some people, when responding to multiple-indicator measures, to respond to every item in the same way, suggesting that their answers are motivated by something other than their actual feelings. Three of the most common response-set effects are “acquiescence,” “social desirability,” and “laziness or boredom.” impossible to completely avoid.

Question 10

probing

Answer 10

used when interviewer needs more information from respondent. can be problematic so should be standardized to avoid influencing answers.

Question 11

prompting

Answer 11

when interviewer suggests a specific response to the interviewee. rare. last resort.

Question 12

researcher driven diaries

Answer 12

alternative to using questionnaires and interviews, especially when interested in behaviours rather than attitudes. participants record feelings, perceptions, and actions shortly after they occur.

Question 13

ecological fallacy

Answer 13

characteristics of the group are falsely applied to individuals.

Question 14

2 research design explanation types

Answer 14

1. nomothetic. (cause and effect, expressed in general laws/principles. quantitative.)
2. idiographic. (rich descriptions, qualitative.)

Question 15

measurement/construct validity

Answer 15

measuring what you purport to be measuring.

Question 16

2 types of longitudinal design

Answer 16

1. panel. (same group studied at diff times.)
2. cohort. (diff groups studied at diff times. less attrition.)

Question 17

panel conditioning

Answer 17

when people’s actions or beliefs change after participating in panel.

Question 18

3 types of case

Answer 18

1. critical case. (shows conditions under which hypothesis holds/does not hold.)
2. extreme/unique case. (study extreme to understand common.)
3. revelatory case. (case/context never before studied.)

Question 19

2 types of concept definitions

Answer 19

1. nominal. (describe concept in words.)
2. operational. (describe how to measure concept.)

Question 20

codes

Answer 20

labels or titles given to themes or categories.

Question 21

internal reliability/consistency

Answer 21

whether multiple measures administered in one setting are consistent.

Question 22

concurrent validity

Answer 22

measure correlates with criterion thought to be relevant to concept.

Question 23

construct validity

Answer 23

concepts relate to each other in a way consistent with researcher’s theory.

Question 24

convergent validity

Answer 24

one measure of concept correlates with second measure of same concept using different measurement technique.

Question 25

kendall’s tau-b

Answer 25

shows correlation between pairs of ordinal variables, or one ordinal and one interval-ratio variable.

Question 26

spearman’s rho

Answer 26

correlation between pairs of ordinal variables.

Question 27

cramér’s v

Answer 27

shows strength of relationship between two nominal variables.

Question 28

chi-squared

Answer 28

measures likelihood that relationship between two variables exists in population.

Question 29

spuriousness

Answer 29

exists if two variables are correlated but only through a third variable. two IV’s.

Question 30

systematic sample

Answer 30

type of probability sample. participants selected directly from sampling frame without using random numbers.

Question 31

periodicity

Answer 31

problem with systematic sampling that occurs if cases in sampling frame are arranged in some systematic order. increases chances of sampling error.

Question 32

multi-stage cluster sampling

Answer 32

type of probability sampling for large populations with no adequate sampling frame. 2 or more stages of picking clusters. problem of clusters being different sizes and cluster samples being stratified as well.