Term
| What are the three reasons one conducts social research? |
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Definition
| Explaination, Description, Exploration |
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Term
| Why do scientists explore the world? |
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Definition
1. Satisfty Curiosity
2. Test the feasiblility of undertaking a more extensive study.
3. Develop the methods to be employed in any
subsequent study. |
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Term
Sociologists describe the social world
in order to… |
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Definition
1. Understand situations and events through
scientific observation.
2. Obtain a precise and accurate conception of a
phenomenon beyond what one can reveal by
simple exploration. |
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Term
| Descriptive studies are often what in nature |
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Definition
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Term
Sociologists explain the social world in
order to… |
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Definition
1. Answer questions about why some
phenomenon occurs.
2. Go beyond simple exploration and
description to reveal the most complete
details and reasons that explain a causal
relationship among variables. |
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Term
Nomothetic explanations seek to
identify WHAT among
variables. |
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Definition
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Term
| In simple terms, what is nomothetic explanation. |
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Definition
the causal
effect of an independent variable (x) on a
dependent variable (y). |
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Term
In order for variables to be causally
related, what following three criteria must be met: |
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Definition
1. Correlation (x and y must co-vary).
2. Time-order (x must precede y in real time).
3. Nonspuriousness (the relationship between
two variables [x and y] cannot be explained
by a third variable [z]. |
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Term
| What is an example of Observed Correlation (Postive (direct) correlation) |
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Definition
| Shoe size and Math skill, Bigger shoe size is associated with greater math skill |
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Term
| What is spurious causal relationships? |
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Definition
| Neither shoe size nor math skills is the cause of the other. |
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Term
| what are Actual causal relationships |
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Definition
| The underlying variable of age causes both bigger shoe size and greater math skill, thus explaining the observed correlation. |
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Term
| How To test a hypothesis… |
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Definition
1. Specify two (or more) variables that are
expected to covary
2. Specify how the variables are measured
3. Hypothesize the correlation, strength of
relationship, and statistical significance
4. Specify any tests for spuriousness |
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Term
While nomothetic explanations seek to
determine causality between variables, it is important to remember the following three things: |
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Definition
1. Complete causation
2. Exceptional cases
3. Majority of cases |
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Term
| What is Complete causation |
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Definition
Idiographic explanations are relatively
complete; nomothetic explanations are
probabilistic and incomplete. |
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Term
| What are Exceptional cases: |
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Definition
Exceptions do not disprove a causal
relationship. |
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Term
| Important issues regarding false criteria and Majority of cases |
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Definition
Causal relationships can be true even if
they don’t apply in a majority of cases. |
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Term
A what represents a
condition that must be present for the
effect to follow. |
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Definition
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Term
| A what represents a condition that, if it is present, guarantees the effect in question. |
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Definition
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Term
| Example of necessary cause |
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Definition
Being female is a necessary
cause of becoming pregnant. |
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Term
| Example of sufficient cause |
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Definition
| Not taking an exam is a sufficient cause for failing the exam. |
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Term
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Definition
| represents what (or who) is being studied. |
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Term
| Units of analysis can range from |
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Definition
| individuals to the largest social aggregates (groups). |
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Term
| Common units of analysis include: |
|
Definition
▪ Nations
▪ Organizations
▪ Dyads, triads, and small groups
▪ Individuals
▪ Interactions |
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Term
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Definition
| One is guilty when they incorrectly attribute a characteristic about one unit of analysis to a different unit of analysis. |
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Term
| Ecological fallacy (Error of Reasoning) |
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Definition
| occurs when one erroneously draws a conclusion about individuals solely from the observations of groups. |
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Term
| Reductionism (Error of Reasoning) |
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Definition
| Reductionism occurs when one attempts to explain a particular phenomenon in terms of limited and/or lower order concepts. |
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Term
| Example of ecological fallacy |
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Definition
One may discover that crime rates are
higher in cities that have large
populations of African Americans.
One commits an ecological fallacy if they
assume (without knowing absolutely) that
the crime in those cities was actually
committed by African Americans. |
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Term
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Definition
Sociobiology is a paradigm based on the
view that social behavior can be explained
solely in terms of genetic characteristics.
Reductionist explanations incorrectly assume that
particular units of analysis or variables are more
relevant than others (when it may not be true). |
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Term
| Research designs thus can be classified as: |
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Definition
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal |
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Term
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Definition
| When observations represent a single point in time, or a cross-section of a population. |
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Term
|
Definition
| When a study design involves the collection of data at different points in time. |
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Term
| Types of longitudinal studies include… |
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Definition
Trend studies
Cohort studies
Panel studies |
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Term
|
Definition
| a given characteristic of some population is monitored over time. |
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Term
|
Definition
some specific population is studied over
time. |
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Term
|
Definition
data are collected from the same set of
people at several points in time. |
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Term
|
Definition
might look at shifts in religious
affiliation over time. |
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Term
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Definition
might follow shifts in religious
affiliation among those born during the
Depression. |
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Term
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Definition
might follow the shifts in religious
affiliation among a specific group of people over time. |
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Term
| Techniques that Researchers can often draw approximate conclusions about longitudinal processes even when only cross-sectional data are available. |
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Definition
1. Implying processes over time
2. Making logical inferences
3. Asking individuals to recall past behavior
4. Cohort analysis (using one cohort to infer to another) |
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Term
| What are the first four steps describe how one generally designs a research project |
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Definition
A. Define the purpose of the project (exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory)
B. Specify the meanings of each concept in the study
C. Select a research method
D. Determine how to measure the variables and results |
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Term
| What are the last steps to design a research project |
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Definition
a. Determine whom or what to study
b. Collect empirical data
c. Process the data
d. Analyze the data
e. Report the findings |
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Term
Common elements of a research
proposal include: |
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Definition
1. Statement of the
problem or objective
2. Literature review
3. Study subjects
4. Measurement
5. Data collection
methods
6. Data analysis
7. Schedule
8. Budget |
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