Test 1 Readings

Question 1

what do positivists assume about social realities?

Answer 1

they already exist and are just waiting to be discovered

Question 2

how do positivists measure social realities?

Answer 2

quantitatively

Question 3

what do interpretivists assume about social realities?

Answer 3

they’re subjectively constructed and based on history, culture and society

Question 4

what do interpretivists emphasize about studying social realities?

Answer 4

meaning and motive

Question 5

how do interpretivists measure social realities?

Answer 5

qualitatively

Question 6

which method of reasoning is top down and which is bottom up?

Answer 6

top down: deductive
bottom up: inductive

Question 7

deductive reasoning

Answer 7

starting with a general idea and testing its validity on specific cases

Question 8

which reasoning is quantitative and which is qualitative

Answer 8

deductive: quant
inductive: qual

Question 9

inductive reasoning

Answer 9

identify multiple concrete cases and identify a general pattern/idea that fits them all

Question 10

objectivity

Answer 10

when independent researchers examine the same subject and produce consistent observations

Question 11

4 basic principles of canadian ethics in sociology

Answer 11

1. voluntary participation
2. harm minimization
3. right to privacy
4. authenticity (don’t decieve participants; if necessary they need to be debriefed)

Question 12

3 criteria needed to establish a causal relationship

Answer 12

1. a relationship exists
2. the IV occurs before the DV
3. the IV is responsible for the change in DV

Question 13

validity vs reliability

Answer 13

validity: degree that results are reflected accurately
reliability: consistency of results

Question 14

what theory does the interpretivist approach correlate with?

Answer 14

symbolic interactionism

Question 15

what theories does the positivist approach correlate with?

Answer 15

SF/conflict theory

Question 16

3 levels of social structures

Answer 16

microstructures, macrostructures & global structures

Question 17

unintrusive measures

Answer 17

do not require active cooperation of respondents and don’t contaminate results

Question 18

3 ways of knowing

Answer 18

casual observation, relying on tradition and relying on authority

Question 19

casual observation

Answer 19

regular human observation done without much thought

Question 20

what is one disadvantage of relying on tradition?

Answer 20

some traditional knowledge is invalid

Question 21

3 common errors in inquiry

Answer 21

overgeneralization, selective observation and illogical reasoning

Question 22

overgeneralization

Answer 22

treating an exception as the rule

Question 23

selective observation

Answer 23

unconsciously ignoring evidence that challenges our beliefs/cherry-picking evidence

Question 24

illogical reasoning

Answer 24

ignoring the fact that sometimes things happen by chance

Question 25

purposive sampling

Answer 25

researchers use their own judgment to determine who’ll make the best population

Question 26

snowball sampling

Answer 26

interviewed participants are asked to provide other people who may want to participate in the study

Question 27

participant observation

Answer 27

researchers participate in the events of the study with participants

Question 28

2 types of participant observation

Answer 28

1. researchers fully engage and conceal the fact that they’re researchers - minimizes reactivity
2. researchers participate solely as observers - reduces ethical concerns and reactivity will decrease over time

Question 29

what is the main problem with quantitative measuring?

Answer 29

the concrete ideas begin as abstract - abstract ideas aren’t easily testable because they’re not visible

Question 30

4 steps to quantitative research

Answer 30

1. identify idea of interest
2. turn abstract idea into a testable hypothesis
3. collect and analyze data
4. accept/reject hypothesis

Question 31

4 steps to qualitative research

Answer 31

1. identify a research interest from concrete experience
2. collect evidence from at least 1 similar case
3. analyze cases for common patterns/themes
4. interpret the patterns/themes using sociological concepts

Question 32

3 biasing mechanisms in media

Answer 32

1. advertising
2. sourcing
3. flak

Question 33

sourcing (media)

Answer 33

major companies organize press conferences, interviews etc. that will slant the info being shared in their favor

Question 34

flak

Answer 34

governments and big companies will attack journalists if they report something against them

Question 35

5 dimensions/building blocks of interaction

Answer 35

height, width, depth, time and social

Question 36

what are the extremities of a sociological compass?

Answer 36

equality/inequality of opportunity, constraint/freedom

Question 37

triangulation

Answer 37

mixing different viewpoints to offer a better perspective on the data

Question 38

what came from the scientific revolution?

Answer 38

it encouraged that conclusions about society should be based on evidence and not just speculation

Question 39

what came from the democratic revolution?

Answer 39

it suggested that since people are in charge of organizing society, we can therefore solve our own social problems

Question 40

what came from the industrial revolution?

Answer 40

it created new and serious social problems that got the attention of many social thinkers

Question 41

postindustrial revolution

Answer 41

technology-driven shift from manufacturing to service industries (creation of factories)

Question 42

globalization

Answer 42

when separate economies, states and cultures become tied together and therefore people become more and more aware of their growing interdependence

Question 43

insiders vs outsiders

Answer 43

insiders: members of a group who have a detailed understanding of their social environment
outsiders: they don’t belong to that specific group but are able to see more broader and general patterns of the group