Test Bank for Sociology: Compass for a New Social World, 6th Edition

Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 1. What does the textbook example of OTTFFSSENT demonstrate? a. Our understanding of reality is shaped by our experience. b. Our experience is shaped by objective reality. c. Children perceive reality more objectively than adults. d. Adults perceive reality more objectively than children. ANSWER: a 2. The textbook makes a point that concrete level of experience is, by itself, which of the following? a. meaningless b. meaningful c. reliable d. unreliable ANSWER: a 3. At which level of experience do seeing, touching, tasting, smelling, and hearing occur? a. the abstract level b. the symbolic level c. the concrete level d. the sensate level ANSWER: c 4. Which of the following represents a pattern? a. a collection of notes in a song b. a letter in a word in a book c. a dot on a page in a graph d. a brick in a wall in a garden ANSWER: a 5. At what level of experience do patterns occur? a. the abstract level b. the symbolic level c. the concrete level d. the sensate level ANSWER: c 6. Which of the following terms best describes the thought process of grouping all chairs—wooden, metal, upholstered, and hard—into a single category? a. observation b. conceptualization c. concretization d. operationalization Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 1 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH ANSWER: b 7. Which of the following is a feature of concrete experience as discussed in the textbook? a. It is meaningful in and of itself. b. It defines humans as separate from all living beings. c. It is accessible only to the most sensitive humans. d. It occurs among all living beings. ANSWER: d 8. What must an individual do in order to form a proposition? a. Find a relationship between percepts. b. Find a relationship between concepts. c. Perceive patterns. d. Perceive isolated percepts. ANSWER: b 9. Life is meaningful for humans because of which level of experience? a. the abstract level b. the traditional level c. the concrete level d. the sensate level ANSWER: a 10. Where is the abstract level of experience located? a. in the mind b. in percepts c. in sensations d. in perceptual patterns ANSWER: a 11. What are the basic units of the abstract level of experience? a. percepts b. patterns c. concepts d. propositions ANSWER: c 12. If you label all of the people seated in your classroom as “students,” which process are you using? a. observation b. conceptualization c. classification Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 2 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH d. organization ANSWER: b 13. Consider this statement: “People with more intelligence have better sex lives.” What does this statement exemplify? a. a pattern b. a concept c. a percept d. a proposition ANSWER: d 14. According to the textbook, what is the aim of sociological research? a. to generate meaningful abstract propositions b. to identify reliable and valid concrete patterns c. to link abstract patterns to concrete propositions d. to connect abstract and concrete levels of experience ANSWER: d 15. “Canada should have less inequality.” What kind of statement is this? a. a concrete pattern b. an abstract pattern c. a concrete proposition d. an abstract proposition ANSWER: d 16. Which of the following terms refers to knowledge based on customary assumptions that may or may not be accurate? a. grounded thinking b. scientific thinking c. unscientific thinking d. groundless thinking ANSWER: c 17. Every year, before farmers plant their crops, a community holds a parade. While the parade does not influence the harvest in any demonstrable way, some community members believe that a good parade increases the crop yield. What does this example illustrate? a. sociological thinking b. scientific thinking c. formal thinking d. traditional thinking ANSWER: d Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 3 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 18. Two observers standing on a street corner saw an automobile accident. While both observers witnessed the same event, they disagreed over which driver was responsible for the accident. What does this situation illustrate? a. systematic observation b. casual observation c. direct observation d. indirect observation ANSWER: b 19. John tells Renée, “If you work hard you can get ahead, because my parents told me that this has happened to several people they know.” What type of unscientific thinking is John guilty of? a. traditional thinking b. casual observation c. authoritative observation d. overgeneralization ANSWER: d 20. Research has found that many television viewers watch only news broadcasts on channels that support their political views and never tune in to those that advocate opposing political views. This increases the likelihood of which type of unscientific thinking? a. selective observation b. casual observation c. illogical reasoning d. mystification ANSWER: a 21. A sports commentator insists that football teams from Florida cannot win in cold weather, because these teams have lost 55 percent of their past games when played in cold weather. Which form of knowledge does this statement represent? a. overgeneralization b. generalization c. the exception to the rule d. illogical reasoning ANSWER: d 22. Jamie believes that if she steps on a crack in the sidewalk on her way to an exam, she will fail the exam. What form of unscientific thinking is Jamie demonstrating? a. overgeneralization b. premature closure of inquiry c. the exception to the rule d. mystification ANSWER: d Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 4 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 23. The textbook discusses 10 types of unscientific thinking. Which of the following is one of them? a. consistent observation b. subjective observation c. premature closure of inquiry d. irrational investigation ANSWER: c 24. Some students think that Introduction to Sociology is a difficult course. What would a scientist use to confirm whether or not this statement is accurate? a. reviewing the literature b. logical thinking c. empirical evidence d. personal experience ANSWER: c 25. In research on mass media, several researchers watch the same content independently and then compare their interpretations of it. What aspect of research does this procedure improve? a. objectivity b. sampling c. subjectivity d. observation ANSWER: a 26. What is the main advantage of an insider’s viewpoint for acquiring knowledge of an organization? a. a global perspective b. extensive detail c. a critical attitude d. conformity to organizational rules ANSWER: b 27. What is the main advantage of an outsider’s viewpoint for acquiring knowledge of an organization? a. a critical attitude b. extensive detail c. a global perspective d. disruption of organizational rules ANSWER: c 28. What underlying methodological principle is reflected in Comte’s preferred name for sociology, “social physics”? a. interpretivism b. Verstehen c. subjectivity Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 5 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH d. positivism ANSWER: d 29. Schütz wrote that a researcher should adopt the attitude of a stranger toward the setting she studies. Which of the following viewpoints does Schütz favour? a. an outsider’s b. an insider’s c. an expert’s d. an activist’s ANSWER: a 30. Professor Luton’s research in rural South Africa relies on a complete list of households in the study area from which she selects a few households to study more in-depth. What do the selected households represent? a. research reliability b. population c. sample d. control variable ANSWER: c 31. Tamar has read that women often take over the role of family communicator. She formulates the following hypothesis: “Women who have recently immigrated to Canada will learn English or French sooner than men from the same families.” Her hypothesis is a product of which process? a. induction b. deduction c. generalization d. specification ANSWER: b 32. Rather than asking a few questions about family life from a large number of respondents, qualitative researchers observe and describe a few families in detail. What process do they use to formulate general, abstract insights from their observations? a. specification b. deduction c. generalization d. induction ANSWER: d 33. What does a quantitative research process begin with? a. a theoretical idea b. selecting a research method c. a case study d. collecting the data Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 6 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH ANSWER: a 34. When conducting research with human beings, what must sociologists respect? a. the reputation of their university b. the need for public information c. the research participants’ rights d. the need for scientific knowledge ANSWER: c 35. A sociologist organizes a focus group about plagiarism at university. He knows that this topic may be stressful and embarrassing to student participants, so he tells them that study strategies will be discussed. Which requirement of research ethics is the sociologist violating? a. anonymity b. confidentiality c. authenticity d. informed consent ANSWER: d 36. Which principle of research ethics makes debriefing of research participants mandatory in some studies? a. anonymity b. authenticity c. confidentiality d. voluntary participation ANSWER: b 37. Tanya, a chemistry major, and Elise, a sociology major, are roommates. One evening when studying for their midterms, Tanya asserted that sociologists don’t “do” science. Elise disagreed, saying that sociologists do science, but with one major difference. What is the primary difference that Elise would cite? a. Sociologists do not follow a prescribed method for researching. b. Sociologists have to consider the meaningful action that underlies data collection. c. Chemistry is based on subjectivity and sociology is based on objectivity. d. Chemistry is based on absolute truth and sociology is based on contextual truth. ANSWER: b 38. Which of the following best distinguishes quantitative research from qualitative? a. deduction b. insider’s viewpoint c. confidentiality d. case studies ANSWER: a 39. Which of the following best distinguishes qualitative research from quantitative? Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 7 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH a. hypotheses b. statistical analysis c. confidentiality d. induction ANSWER: d 40. What is the relationship between quantitative and qualitative research? a. They are incompatible. b. They are complementary. c. They are mutually dependent. d. Quantitative research is a type of qualitative research. ANSWER: b 41. Which principle of ethical research was violated in the Canadian government’s research into health benefits of nutrition conducted in Aboriginal communities in the 1940s? a. authenticity b. privacy c. harm minimization d. voluntary participation ANSWER: c 42. In the 1970s, a sociologist observed sexual encounters in public washrooms without revealing his identity to participants. He did not debrief the participants. Which characteristic of ethical research would debriefing have improved? a. voluntary participation b. harm minimization c. authenticity d. privacy ANSWER: c 43. Robert recently purchased a Volkswagen Beetle, and was told by his insurance company he would have to pay higher premiums because it was red in colour. When asked to explain, the insurance agent said the company had accident history data that demonstrated red cars were involved in three times as many accidents. Robert analyzed the data and found that the red cars were predominantly high-speed sports cars. When he pointed this out, the insurance company readdressed its pricing policy. What did Robert discover? a. a causal relationship b. a spurious relationship c. an a priori relationship d. a curvilinear relationship ANSWER: b 44. During a research study on people’s views toward crime, a sociologist was careful to make up false names Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 8 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH for the research subjects rather than use their real names in the research. Why is this important? a. Participants’ rights to confidentiality must be ensured. b. Participants must be protected from physical harm. c. Participants’ rights to anonymity must be ensured. d. Authenticity of study must be ensured. ANSWER: a 45. A researcher who was interested in the influence of music on job motivation assigned one group to hear music while working and another group to not hear music while working. To determine which test subject would go into which group, the researcher flipped a coin. Which process of assignment was the researcher using? a. establishing a control group b. randomization c. random sampling d. establishing controls ANSWER: b 46. According to the textbook, what are sociological researchers interested in doing with abstract propositions? a. generating them b. confirming them c. testing them d. supporting them ANSWER: c 47. According to the textbook’s discussion of concepts and variables, which of the following best describes the term “alienation”? a. It is an abstract concept lacking concrete properties. b. It is an abstract concept possessing concrete properties. c. It is a concrete variable without meaning. d. It is a concrete variable with meaning. ANSWER: a 48. What process translates an abstract concept into a testable variable? a. measurement b. validation c. operationalization d. abstraction ANSWER: c 49. A professor was curious whether a 5 percent bonus mark would influence students to submit their term essays on time. Half the students were offered the bonus mark for on-time submission, and the other half were not offered any bonus marks. What kind of variable is the bonus mark incentive? Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 9 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH a. randomized b. control c. dependent d. independent ANSWER: d 50. A researcher decides to measure happiness by the number of times a person smiles each hour. Which statement best describes the relationship between happiness and smiling? a. Both happiness and smiling are variables. b. Both happiness and smiling are concepts. c. Happiness is a concept and smiling a variable. d. Happiness is a variable and smiling is a concept. ANSWER: c 51. A researcher decides to measure happiness by the number of times a person smiles each hour. What process has she accomplished? a. measurement b. operationalization c. validation d. specification ANSWER: b 52. Which of the following terms refers to a sociological construct that can have more than one value? a. a variable b. a hypothesis c. a grounded theory d. a construct ANSWER: a 53. What does the operationalization process do? a. It translates concepts into variables. b. It translates variables into hypotheses. c. It translates patterns into propositions. d. It translates patterns into hypotheses. ANSWER: a 54. A researcher decides to use income as a measure of social class position. Which of the following processes is this researcher engaging in? a. operationalization b. reactivity c. grounded theory Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 10 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH d. instrumentation ANSWER: a 55. When Professor Lee states that a hypothesis is an “educated guess,” what does she mean by “educated”? a. It is based on empirical evidence. b. It is based on speculation. c. It is based on a theory. d. It is based on an insider’s viewpoint. ANSWER: c 56. Which of the following terms refers to unverified but testable statements about the phenomena that researchers are interested in? a. concepts b. hypotheses c. variables d. theories ANSWER: b 57. Which outcome results from the process of randomization? a. The experimental group experiences the independent variable. b. The control group experiences the independent variable. c. The experimental and control groups are equivalent on all variables. d. The experimental and control groups are equivalent except for the experience of independent variable. ANSWER: d 58. In an experiment, how do the experimental and control groups differ? a. Only the experimental group is measured on the dependent variable. b. Only the control group is measured on the dependent variable. c. Only the experimental group experiences the independent variable. d. Only the control group experiences the dependent variable. ANSWER: c 59. What is used to select the members of an experimental group and a control group in an experiment? a. a sampling frame b. a representative sample c. a probability sample d. a randomization technique ANSWER: d 60. Which of the following terms refers to a carefully controlled artificial situation that allows researchers to isolate hypothesized causes and measure their effects precisely? Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 11 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH a. a survey b. an observation c. an experiment d. a case study ANSWER: c 61. Which of the following terms refers to the process whereby individuals are assigned to research groups by chance? a. randomization b. systematic sampling c. experimentation d. probability sampling ANSWER: a 62. A researcher believes that colder temperatures lead to more snowfall. Which of the following terms refers to the amount of snowfall? a. the independent variable b. the dependent variable c. the spurious variable d. the sociological variable ANSWER: b 63. Which of the following is the most common objection of sociologists to removing participants from their natural social settings to a laboratory in experimental research? a. It is unethical. b. It is stressful and traumatic. c. It is detrimental to the validity of research findings. d. It is unfair to minority participants. ANSWER: c 64. A researcher is interested in the effect of violent media content on aggression. She exposes an all-female experimental group to a violent action drama and an all-male control group to a non-violent nature documentary. Which experimental requirement has the researcher violated? a. precision of measurement b. randomization c. experimental control d. authenticity ANSWER: b 65. A sociologist believes that high levels of education create the opportunity for higher-paying work after graduation. What type of variable is “level of education”? a. an independent variable Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 12 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH b. a dependent variable c. a spurious variable d. a control variable ANSWER: a 66. Fatima meets with Margarita, an immigrant woman without legal status, to discuss a potential research project. Margarita talks about her daily life and how she works without being identified by the authorities. Fatima becomes increasingly angry and frustrated to hear how Margarita was able to come to, and work in, this country without having to go through the costly legal procedures that Fatima’s parents experienced. According to the textbook, why should Fatima NOT study Margarita? a. Margarita may be identified and deported as a consequence of the research. b. Margarita may disclose information harmful to other immigrants who do not have legal status. c. Fatima’s bias may result in drawing incorrect conclusions in her research. d. Fatima may be required to reveal the sources of her research to the authorities. ANSWER: c 67. A researcher measures individual intelligence by the circumference of a person’s head in centimetres. Which of the following statements best characterizes this measurement? a. It has high reliability and high validity. b. It has high reliability and low validity. c. It has low reliability and high validity. d. It has low reliability and low validity. ANSWER: b 68. Which concept is referred to in the following question: “Would another researcher interpret or measure the phenomenon in the same way”? a. validity b. generalizability c. causality d. reliability ANSWER: d 69. In explaining his research to a potential participant, Aashiq tells her that he wants to study the influence of a specific government policy on household finances in order to understand purchasing decisions in the family. Aashiq is required to give this much detail in order to obtain which of the following? a. informed consent b. financial records c. government approval d. authentic data ANSWER: a 70. Two sociologists studying a new religious movement are concerned that their interpretations are consistent. What issue are the two sociologists concerned about? Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 13 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH a. spuriousness b. correlation c. validity d. reliability ANSWER: d 71. A researcher studying a new religious movement is concerned whether he really understands why new members join the movement. What issue is the researcher concerned about? a. validity b. testing c. authenticity d. operationalization ANSWER: c 72. Which of the following is the most widely used sociological research method? a. experiments b. surveys c. participant observation d. existing statistics ANSWER: b 73. What do you call the person who answers a researcher’s survey questions? a. a gatekeeper b. a respondent c. a test subject d. a sponsor ANSWER: b 74. Suppose people are asked questions about their knowledge, attitudes, or behaviour in a face-to-face or telephone interview or using a “paper-and-pencil” format. What are they doing? a. completing a survey b. completing an answer-and-question session c. carrying out an ethnographic interview d. participating in an experiment ANSWER: a 75. For what reason do people who are interviewed on a particular street corner not constitute an acceptable sample of Canadian adults? a. The sample is unlikely to be representative. b. The sample is too concentrated. c. The sample will overlook children. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 14 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH d. The reactivity will ruin the sample. ANSWER: a 76. Zachary is taking a survey about television sets. The question about preferred screen size allows four options: 12″ screen, 19″ screen, 21″ screen, and 25″ screen. What kind of question is this an example of? a. open-ended question b. closed-ended question c. essay question d. non-response ANSWER: b 77. Which of the following research characteristics leads to statistically significant research results? a. experimental method b. sophisticated statistics c. representative sample d. outsider’s viewpoint ANSWER: c 78. Sooraj is planning a study of political opinions of francophone Canadians. He wishes to obtain statistically significant results, but fears that his research budget is too small. What is most likely to make statistically significant results doubtful in this situation? a. too few closed-ended questions b. too few open-ended questions c. a large sample d. a small sample ANSWER: d 79. A survey question asks “What do you think about current Canadian foreign policy?” and provides several lines for respondents to write their answers. Which of the following terms refers to this type of question? a. a closed-ended question b. an open-ended question c. a fact-based question d. a value-based question ANSWER: b 80. If one variable changes systematically as the other changes, the variables are said to be which of the following? a. identical b. related c. dependent d. spurious ANSWER: b Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 15 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 81. What is the most common type of table for displaying survey data? a. a contingency table b. a statistical table c. a sampling table d. a response rate table ANSWER: a 82. What kind of research is Statistics Canada’s national census? a. ethnographic research b. survey research c. experimental research d. field study research ANSWER: b 83. What is the dependent variable in the table? a. gender b. happiness c. male d. happy ANSWER: b 84. What is the meaning of the “25%” in the table? a. 25 percent of unhappy people are females. b. 25 percent of females are unhappy. c. 25 percent of all respondents were unhappy. d. 25 percent of females were happy. ANSWER: b 85. What is the total sample size in the table? a. 100 b. 200 c. 300 d. 400 ANSWER: c 86. According to the table, how many females are happy? a. 25 b. 50 c. 75 d. 100 Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 16 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH ANSWER: c 87. Which conclusion does the evidence in the table support? a. There is no relationship between gender and happiness. b. Females are less likely to be happy than males. c. Males are less likely to be happy than females. d. Males and females are equally likely to be happy. ANSWER: c 88. Jeremy notes that when his nose gets cold, he is more likely to slip on the ice when leaving his apartment building. He decides to write a paper stating that there is an association between cold noses and falls. What kind of association does this example illustrate? a. causal b. independent c. dependent d. spurious ANSWER: d 89. If the association between two variables is accidental and not causal, what do we call the relationship between the two variables? a. a connected relationship b. an independent relationship c. a dependent relationship d. a spurious relationship ANSWER: d 90. A researcher is interested in the effect of violent media content on aggression. She is also interested to learn if men and women react identically to the same content. In this example, what type of variable is gender? a. a connected variable b. an independent variable c. a dependent variable d. a control variable ANSWER: d 91. How does the inclusion of a control variable improve a researcher’s interpretation of the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables? a. It makes the variables change more systematically. b. It prevents random relationships. c. It specifies the quality of the relationship. d. It provides context for this relationship. ANSWER: d Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 17 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 92. A new university policy affects 20 000 students. A subset of 1000 students will be used to examine the effect on all of the students. Within sociological research, which of the following labels is given to the 20 000 students? a. the social group b. the sampling frame c. the postsecondary community d. the sociological sample ANSWER: b 93. According to the textbook, why do researchers examine the effects of control variables? a. because sequence matters b. because relationships matter c. because contamination matters d. because context matters ANSWER: d 94. Income is not likely to be the cause of gender. Which test of causality is the relationship of these variables likely to fail? a. authenticity test b. non-spuriousness test c. sequencing test d. relationship test ANSWER: c 95. Which of the following terms applies to a relationship between two variables that is not influenced by a third variable? a. spurious b. authentic c. valid d. reliable ANSWER: b 96. What kind of link exists between storks and babies in Scandinavia? a. a time-ordered relationship b. a controlled association c. a causal relationship d. a spurious association ANSWER: d 97. If a relationship is spurious, what will occur? a. It will appear when the control variable changes and when it is held constant. b. It will appear when the control variable changes but disappear when it is held constant. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 18 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH c. It will disappear when the control variable changes but appear when it is held constant. d. It will disappear when the control third variable changes and when it is held constant. ANSWER: b 98. Which research method places the most emphasis on understanding the members of a group from their own point of view? a. unobtrusive measurement b. survey research c. the experiment d. participant observation ANSWER: d 99. Gaitri has conducted a study on the relationship of education and income among Canadian residents. She finds that immigrants earn less than Canadian-born people with similar education. In this example, what kind of variable is “immigrant status”? a. spurious b. control c. independent d. dependent ANSWER: c 100. If you used random-digit dialling of listed and unlisted residential numbers in your research, what part of the Canadian population would your sampling frame exclude? a. the rich b. young people who have mobile phones c. the elderly who have land lines d. the homeless ANSWER: d 101. A group of sociologists is interested in studying Canadian university students’ attitudes toward the federal government. They only have funding for a survey of 1,500 respondents. In order to generate a set of meaningful responses, what type of the sample should they design? a. a voluntary response sample b. a full sample c. a probability sample d. an convenience sample ANSWER: c 102. Which of the following terms refers to a sample into which respondents are chosen at random? a. a probability sample b. a sampling frame c. a voluntary response sample Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 19 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH d. a full population ANSWER: a 103. Which of the following terms refers to the list of all the people in a population of interest? a. a voluntary response sample b. a representative sample c. a full population d. a sampling frame ANSWER: d 104. Lily, a researcher, joins a religious cult to better understand how members are recruited. What method is she using? a. experimental research b. survey research c. participant observation d. existing documents ANSWER: c 105. When people artificially pose for a photograph, what type of bias is occurring? a. detached observation b. attached observation c. reactivity d. sensitivity ANSWER: c 106. An experimenter sets up a situation to observe people’s behaviour when they are subjected to certain variables that she is testing. However, she begins to suspect that her presence alone is changing the behaviour of the subjects. What is this phenomenon called? a. self-monitoring b. reactivity c. self-consciousness d. primping ANSWER: b 107. Andreas wishes to study international students’ association at his university. He now needs to decide if he will introduce himself as a researcher or pretend to be just another member. Which research consideration will most likely influence his decision? a. an insider’s viewpoint b. reliability c. reactivity d. randomization ANSWER: c Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 20 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 108. Akiko is studying the Toronto chapter of the Liberal Party of Canada. Who would be her best key informant? a. a recent recruit to the party b. the leader of the chapter c. the provincial leader of the party d. an experienced Toronto journalist ANSWER: b 109. Jonah is studying student life on campus. He moves into a dorm, joins pick-up football games on campus, and helps tutor first-year students. He tells everyone he meets that he is a researcher. Which of the following roles is Jonah taking? a. complete observer b. key informant c. gatekeeper d. participant-as-observer ANSWER: d 110. What is random-digit sampling? a. choosing subjects selectively from a sampling frame b. dividing a population into equal and representative samples c. a telephone procedure for establishing random samples d. a procedure for producing experimental conditions ANSWER: c 111. What would be the best way to gain access to a high school youth gang you would like to do research on? a. ask a teacher to act as a gatekeeper b. ask permission from the members’ parents c. ask a police officer to introduce you to gang members d. ask members’ schoolmates to introduce you to the gang members ANSWER: d 112. How often does Statistics Canada conduct a census? a. every two years b. every five years c. every seven years d. every ten years ANSWER: b 113. What political movement has forced sociologists to consider issues such as the division of labour in the household, violence against women, and the effects of child-rearing responsibilities? a. functionalism Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 21 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH b. feminism c. postmodernism d. conservatism ANSWER: b 114. Sandra has just finished a qualitative study of ways to improve recent immigrants’ access to the Canadian health care system. Which of the following is she most likely to use to ensure authenticity of her study? a. member validation b. narrative c. social mapping d. exploratory research ANSWER: a 115. Suppose you are in a shopping mall and you agree to answer questions from an interviewer doing a survey of those who pass by. As a sociology student, you know that results of this survey will not be scientifically sound. Why? a. Because the researchers have not used a strategic sample. b. Because the researchers have not used a convenience sample. c. Because the researchers have not used a probability sample. d. Because the researchers have not used a stratified sample. ANSWER: c 116. The whole point of using scientific research methods is to eliminate bias from our observations and arrive at an objective perception of reality. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 117. Knowledge based on established authority or tradition can be considered scientific because it has been effective for a long time and respected people endorse it. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 118. Variable is to a concept as hypothesis is to an observation. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 119. The right to privacy is an ethical consideration when doing research on human subjects. a. True b. False ANSWER: True Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 22 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 120. Every research project must preserve anonymity of participants. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 121. Deciding which observations to link to which variables is known as operationalization. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 122. A testable hypothesis is a product of the process of induction. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 123. Experimental research tends to have low reliability and high validity. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 124. In research, the control variable determines the context of the hypothesized relationship. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 125. In a probability sample, the units are selected randomly. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 126. The use of random-digit dialling techniques for telephone interviews has the advantage of including disadvantaged populations in a sample. a. True b. False ANSWER: False 127. As sample size increases, so does the likelihood that it reflects the population accurately. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 128. Sociologists engage in participant observation when they attempt to objectively observe a social milieu and take part in the activities of the people they are studying. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 23 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH a. True b. False ANSWER: True 129. The goal of participant observation is to understand a setting from the viewpoint of its members. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 130. A spurious relationship is one in which the control variable causes both the independent and dependent variables to change. a. True b. False ANSWER: True 131. How does sociological research relate to ideas and experience? Illustrate your answer with an example. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 132. What are the characteristics of the concrete level of experience? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 133. Outline three types of unscientific thinking, providing examples of each. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 134. Describe the strengths and limitations of experimental research in social sciences. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 135. What is the difference between validity and reliability? Provide examples. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 136. Which research participants’ rights are the basis for the principle of informed consent? Explain. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 137. Describe the scientific and political reasons for and against the discontinuation of the mandatory long-form census in Canada. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 138. What is a variable and what is its relationship to a concept? Illustrate your answer with examples. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 139. Is deception in research ever permissible? Illustrate your answer with research examples. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 140. Explain the role of subjectivity in research. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 24 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH ANSWER: Responses will vary. 141. What steps should sociologists take to ensure a representative sample for their research? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 142. What is a spurious relationship and how is it addressed in quantitative research? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 143. Why did the 1960s feminists argue that most sociological research was gender-biased? Has this changed since? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 144. What are the main features and limitations of the experimental method? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 145. Describe the conditions that must be met in demonstrating causality. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 146. Set up a research project in which you wish to determine the motivations for watching a popular television program. How would you conduct your research? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 147. Compare participant observation and survey research. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each? How are they similar and different? Which is better suited to what purposes and why? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 148. Compare the concrete and abstract levels of experience, and their roles in sociological research. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 149. Compare the insider’s and the outsider’s viewpoints of social reality, and their role in different approaches to sociological research. Use examples to support your discussion. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 150. What are the strengths and weaknesses of survey research as compared with the experimental method? Which is better suited to what purposes and why? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 151. Many organizations are now using the Internet and creating pools of respondents who are willing to answer polls and surveys online. Quite often, these people are rewarded with cash or gifts for their participation. Does this make you wonder about bias in polling and survey research? Why or why not? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 152. What are the main ethical considerations of research? Give an example of each. ANSWER: Responses will vary. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 25 Name: Class: Date: CHAPTER 2 – HOW SOCIOLOGISTS DO RESEARCH 153. What is the problem of overgeneralization? How can sociologists attempt to correct this problem? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 154. Explain the arguments for and against compulsory participation in a census. What is your position? ANSWER: Responses will vary. 155. Imagine that you have been asked to conduct a research study on Internet porn website usage by university students. What research method(s) would you use and why? Discuss both the advantages and disadvantages of your selected research method(s). ANSWER: Responses will vary. 156. What issues does a researcher confront in participant observation? Briefly describe a participant observation study on a topic that interests you and explain how you would deal with each of these issues. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 157. Define the basic principles of research ethics and give examples of research procedures that ensure they are being followed. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 158. What is the central goal of a quantitative research approach? Explain how it is achieved in the two main quantitative research methods. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 159. What is the central goal of a qualitative research approach? Explain how it is achieved in the two main qualitative research methods. ANSWER: Responses will vary. 160. Define authenticity as it applies to three aspects of sociological research: ethics, causality, and interpretation of qualitative research results. Give examples. ANSWER: Responses will vary. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero. Page 26