Chapter 02: Sociological Research Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Chapter 02: Sociological Research Deck (32)
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1
Q

case study

A

in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual

2
Q

code of ethics

A

a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to
foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

3
Q

content analysis

A

applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand

4
Q

control group

A

an experimental group that is not exposed to the independent variable

5
Q

correlation

A

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does
not necessarily indicate causation

6
Q

dependent variables

A

changed by other variables

7
Q

empirical evidence

A

evidence corroborated by direct experience and/or observation

8
Q

ethnography

A

observing a complete social setting and all that it entails

9
Q

experiment

A

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

10
Q

field research

A

gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a
survey

11
Q

Hawthorne effect

A

when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher

12
Q

hypothesis

A

an educated guess with predicted outcomes about the relationship between two or
more variables

13
Q

independent variables

A

cause changes in dependent variables

14
Q

interpretive framework

A

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

15
Q

interview

A

a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject

16
Q

literature review

A

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

17
Q

nonreactive research

A

using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and
will not alter or influence people’s behaviors

18
Q

operational definitions

A

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

19
Q

participant observation

A

when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an “insider” perspective

20
Q

population

A

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

21
Q

primary data

A

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

22
Q

qualitative data

A

comprise information that is subjective and often based on what is seen in a natural setting

23
Q

quantitative data

A

represent research collected in numerical form that can be counted

24
Q

random sample

A

a study’s participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population

25
Q

reliability

A

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

26
Q

research design

A

a detailed, systematic method for conducting research and obtaining data

27
Q

sample

A

a small, manageable number of subjects that represents the population

28
Q

scientific method

A

an established scholarly research method that involves asking a question,researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting a study, and
drawing conclusions

29
Q

secondary data analysis

A

using data collected by others but applying new interpretations

30
Q

surveys

A

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about behaviors and
opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire

31
Q

validity

A

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

32
Q

value neutrality

A

a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of
a study and in publishing results