LESSON 2 THE TOOLS OF SOCIOLOGY 1.

Fill in the blanks with one appropriate term from the list below: formulating the question control group sample surveys national censuses experimental group Closed questions open questions Informed consent units of analysis Frequency distributions independent variable theoretical perspective Field experiments dependent variable independent variable review of the literature random sampling unobtrusive measures Visual sociology dependent variable controlled experiment participant observation percent analysis Hawthorne effect hypothesis behavior systematic causation attitudes correlations data sample Privacy Mapping Questionnaire Confidentiality

The first step in designing sociological research is _____________________, that is, asking a question about a social situation that can be answered through the _____________________ collection and analysis of _____________________. Often the research question is expressed in the form of a _____________________, which states a relationship between two or more variables that can be tested through empirical observation. The variable that is to be explained is the _____________________. The other variable is the _____________________. Before collecting new data, a professional researcher reviews as much existing research and other data sources as possible. This _____________________ sometimes supplies all the data necessary for a particular study. The most frequently used research methods in sociology are observation, experiments and surveys. Observation may take the form of _____________________ in which the researcher participates to some degree in the life of the people being observed. It may also take the form of _____________________ or observational techniques that measure behavior but intrude as little as possible into actual social settings. _____________________ involves the use of photography and videotape to observe people in a variety of settings. Sociological experiments can take one of two basic forms. In a _____________________ the researchers establishes an _____________________, which will experience a treatment (a change in the _____________________), and a _____________________, which will not experience the treatment. The effect of the treatment on the _____________________ can be measured by comparing the two groups. _____________________ take place outside the laboratory and are often used in evaluating public programs designed to remedy specific social problems. The treatment group consists of people who experience a particular social program, and the control group consists of comparable people who do not experience the program. A common

problem of experimental studies is the _____________________, which refers to any unintended effect resulting from the attention given to subjects in an experiment. The third basic method of sociological research, the survey, asks people to give precise information about their _____________________ and _____________________. The most ambitious surveys are _____________________; the data obtained by this means can be supplemented by smaller, less costly _____________________. A _____________________ is a selection of respondents drawn from a specific population. To ensure that everyone in the specified population has an equal chance of being selected, the respondents must be selected by some process. _____________________ design is an important aspect of survey research. Questions must be precisely worded, easy to understand, and free of bias. _____________________ require the respondent to select from a set of answers, whereas _____________________ allow respondents to say whatever comes to mind. Sociological researchers must always consider the rights of human subjects. _____________________ is the right to decide the terms on which ones acts may be revealed to the public. _____________________ means that the researcher cannot use the responses in such a way that they can be traced to a particular respondent. In order for respondents to give _____________________, they must be told how the information they supply will be used and must be allowed to judge the degree of personal risk involved in answering questions. The data gathered in a survey are usually presented in the form of statistical tables. In reading a table it is important to know what the _____________________ are and what kinds of data are being presented. _____________________, given in absolute numbers, reveal the actual size of each category of a variable, but to compare the numbers for different years it is necessary to use _____________________. Analysis of data often leads to the discovery of _____________________ or specific relationships between two variables. Such relationships should not be confused with _____________________. _____________________ of data about individuals or households also provides a powerful tool for analyzing sociological data. Once data have been presented and analyzed, they can be used to generate new hypotheses. The types of hypotheses that might be developed depend on the researchers _____________________, a set of interrelated theories that offer explanations for important aspects of social behavior. The functionalist, interactionist and conflict perspectives give rise to quite different hypotheses. 2. For each of the following terms, identify the correct definition and enter the appropriate letter in the blank in front of the definition. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. hypothesis variable dependent variable independent variable participant observation unobtrusive measures controlled experiment experimental group m. sample n. closed question o. open question p. privacy q. confidentiality r. informed consent s. frequency distribution t. percent analysis

i. j. k. l.

control group field experiment Hawthorne effect sample survey

u. correlation v. theory w. theoretical perspective

___ 1. a variable that the researcher believes causes a change in another variable. ___ 2. an experimental situations in which the researcher observes and studies subject in their natural settings. ___ 3. a question that requires the respondent to choose among a predetermined set of answers. ___ 4. a set of respondents selected from a specific population. ___ 5. a statement that specifies a relationship between two or more variables that can be tested through empirical observation. ___ 6. observational techniques that measure behavior but intrude as little as possible into actual social settings. ___ 7. the unintended effect that results from the attention given to subjects in an experimental situation. ___ 8. a form of observation in which the researcher participates to some degree in the lives of the people being observed. ___ 9. in an experiment, the subjects who do not experience a change in the independent variable. ___ 10. a characteristic of an individual, group or society that can vary from one case to another. ___ 11. a question that does not require the respondent to choose from a predetermined set of answers. Instead, the respondent may answer in his or her own words. ___ 12. a survey administered to a selection of respondents drawn from a specific population. ___ 13. the promise that the information provided to a researcher by a respondent will not appear in any way that can be traced to that respondent. ___ 14. a set of interrelated theories that offer explanations for important aspects of social behavior. ___ 15. the variable that a hypothesis seeks to explain. ___ 16. a classification of data that describes how many observations fall within each category of a variable. ___ 17. an experimental situation in which the researcher manipulates an independent variable in order to observe and measure changes in a dependent variable. ___ 18. the right of respondents to be informed of the purpose for which the information they supply will be used and to judge the degree of personal risk involved in answering questions, even when an assurance of confidentiality has been given. ___ 19. a set of interrelated concepts that seeks to explain the causes of an observable phenomenon. ___ 20. in an experiment, the subjects who are exposed to a change in the independent variable. ___ 21. a mathematical operation that transforms an absolute number into a proportion as a part of 100.

___ 22. the right of a respondent to define when and on what terms his or her action may be revealed to the general public. ___ 23. a specific relationship between two variables. 3. Encircle the correct answer to each question, from the answers provided below. 1. The first step in the sociological research process is: a. reviewing the literature b. selecting a research method c. formulating research questions d. analyzing the data 2. A relationship between two variables may be stated in the form of a: a. survey b. hypothesis c. perspective d. stereotype 3. Before undertaking new research, the sociologist conducts a (an): a. sample survey b. review of the literature c. controlled experiment d. opinion poll 4. A research method in which the sociologist becomes a member of the social group he or she is observing is: a. visual sociology b. unobtrusive measurement c. random sampling d. participant observation 5. A research method that is often used to evaluate public programs to address social problems is the: a. field experiment b. census c. sample survey d. community study 6. In a controlled experiment, the group that will experience a change in the independent variable is the: a. control group b. sample group c. experimental group d. random group 7. In the Hawthorne experiments, the dependent variable was:

a. b. c. d.

lighting conditions coffee breaks communication between workers and managers worker productivity

8. A full enumeration of every member of a society is a (an): a. opinion poll b. national census c. sample survey d. market survey 9. The first step in selecting a sample is to: a. define the population to be sampled b. establish rules for random selection of respondents c. correct for sample bias d. design the questionnaire 10. A percentage difference between two sets of responses that could be due to chance is known as: a. sample bias b. sampling error c. random error d. the Hawthorne effect 11. A question that requires the respondent to select from a set of answers is a (an): a. interview guide b. open question c. closed question d. none of the above 12. Which of the following refers to the statements made to respondents about what they are being asked and how the information they supply will be used? a. informed consent b. privacy c. confidentiality d. unobtrusive measurement 13. Numbers that indicate how many observations fall within each category of a variable are: a. percentages b. random numbers c. frequency distributions d. correlations 14. As the rate of unemployment increases, so may the rate of suicide. The relationship between these two variables is known as a:

a. b. c. d.

causality coefficient coincidence correlation

15. Interactionism, functionalism and conflict theory are the basic sociological: a. theories b. correlations c. hypotheses d. perspectives 4. TRUE or FALSE: T/F 1. An empirical study is one that gathers evidence to describe certain kinds of behavior and to prove or disprove certain explanations of why that behavior occurs. T/F 2. Participant observation is the most frequently used quantitative research method in sociology. T/F 3. For both moral and practical reasons, sociologists do not have many opportunities to perform experiments. T/F 4. The findings of a modern survey can be generalized from a small sample of respondents to an entire population. T/F 5. The result of random selection of respondents is a biased sample.