Soc 497 - Research Methods » Summer 2021 » Midterm Exam
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Question #1
Which of these “ways of knowing” obstructs knowledge by refusing to be wrong?
A.
tradition
B.
tradition, intuition, and mysticism
C.
intuition and mysticism
Question #2
Which of these was not given as an advantage for science as a way of knowing?
A.
audience appeal
B.
ability to capture absolute truth about reality
C.
systematic reduction of bias
D.
clear criteria for evaluation
Question #3
Science offers total protection against the errors nonscientists commit in casual inquiry.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #4
With which of these ontological approaches are scientists often accused of being aligned?
A.
realism
B.
empiricism
C.
post-modernism
D.
positivism
Question #5
Which of these ontological approaches does the instructor say science employs?
A.
post-modernism
B.
positivism
C.
empricism
D.
realism
Question #6
Which of these barriers to knowledge can be overcome somewhat by using large samples and replication?
A.
overgeneralization
B.
illogical reasoning
C.
Hawthorne effect
D.
ecological fallacy
Question #7
According to the “wheel of science” idea, science is primarily…
A.
inductive
B.
deductive and inductive
C.
deductive
D.
none of the above
Question #8
The statement “wealthy countries should give aid to poorer countries” is a…
A.
theory
B.
value judgement
C.
hypothesis
D.
bivariate conceptualization
Question #9
Which of the following did the instructor present as the most important criteria of “good theory”?
A.
testability
B.
originality
C.
simplicity
D.
generality
Question #10
Idiographic explanations seek to explain things “economically”, using as few factors as possible.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #11
According to the instructor, which of these is not a unique purpose of sociological research?
A.
evaluation
B.
description
C.
exploration
D.
explanation
Question #12
Which of the following ought (according to the instructor) to occur before operationalization?
A.
sampling procedures
B.
choice of observation method
C.
data processing
D.
statistical analysis
Question #13
The unit of analysis and the unit of observation need to be the same thing.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #14
Unlike operations, concepts are:
A.
observable
B.
variable
C.
abstract
D.
measurable
Question #15
Compared to qualitative data, quantitative data are…
A.
less explicit
B.
richer in meaning
C.
easier to aggregate
D.
less reliable
Question #16
Which of the following is not a longitudinal design?
A.
panel study
B.
cross-sectional study
C.
cohort study
D.
trend study
Question #17
If accuracy has three parts, which of these is not one of them?
A.
truth
B.
validity
C.
reliability
D.
precision
Question #18
Which of the following is a weakness of qualitative analysis:
A.
personal and personnel differences introduce problems with reliability
B.
reliability and replicability problems raise questions about objectivity
C.
reliability and replicability problems raise questions about objectivity, typically small samples mean that there is a problem with inferences, and personal and personnel differences introduce problems with reliability
D.
typically small samples mean that there is a problem with inferences and personal and personnel differences introduce problems with reliability
Question #19
Which method of checking reliability requires some kind of longitudinal study?
A.
test-retest method
B.
Cronbach's alpha
C.
split-half method
D.
using established measures
Question #20
Which type of validity depends on a relationship among variables?
A.
face
B.
criterion
C.
content
D.
construct
Question #21
Which of the following is not true about coding of data?
A.
Codes should capture as much detail as possible, at least initially.
B.
Codebooks should be firm, and not allowed to evolve over time.
C.
Coding schemes should be appropriate to the theoretical concepts examined.
D.
You could use established codes or generate your own.
Question #22
Which of these internal threats to validity does not result from interaction between researcher and subjects?
A.
personal attribute effect
B.
Hawthorne effect
C.
sleeper effects
D.
sensitization
Question #23
Conceptualization is the process of specifying how we observe something whose abstract meaning we've already identified.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #24
It is acceptable to use shorthands, idioms, slang, even clichés as part of conceptualization.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #25
When a researcher is selecting items for an index, which of the following should be kept in mind?
A.
Each item should have face validity.
B.
There should be concern about the amount of variance provided by the items. A composite measure should be unidimensional. Each item should have face validity.
C.
There should be concern about the amount of variance provided by the items.
D.
A composite measure should be unidimensional.; and Each item should have face validity.
Question #26
To consider an index unidimensional, its component items indicate only one underlying factor.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #27
Consider a questionairre item which asks, "How do you feel about your instructor’s leadership style on the following two items" and asks respondents to choose between “valuable” and "worthless", as well as between “easy” and “demanding". Which kind of scale would involve that item?
A.
Likert Scale
B.
semantic differential scale
C.
Guttman scale
D.
Thurstone scale
Question #28
Which of these use judges or evaluators in their construction?
A.
Likert scales
B.
Thurstone scales
C.
Guttman scales
D.
none of the above
Question #29
If you used the campus telephone directory to sample students, those listed in it would be…
A.
the sampling error
B.
the sampling frame
C.
the main cluster
D.
the sample
Question #30
To study a fairly rare characteristic or behavior, which kind of sample are you more likely to use?
A.
Non-probability, because there is no sampling frame.
B.
Non-probability, because that’s always the best.
C.
Probability, because that’s always the best.
D.
Probability, because there is no sampling frame.
Question #31
If the registrar reports that 10% of the student body is transfer students, and I instruct you to conduct 8 interviews with transfer students and 72 interviews with students who are not transfer students, what sampling method have I required of you and your project?
A.
stratified sampling
B.
cluster sampling
C.
quota sampling
D.
simple random sampling
Question #32
The statistical computations involved in the most commonly used test statistics assume:
A.
cluster sampling
B.
systematic random sampling
C.
strafied sampling
D.
simple random sampling
Question #33
Non-probability sampling…
A.
always produces samples that possess distorted characteristics relative to the population.
B.
excludes the use of statistical theory to estimate the probability of correct inferences.
C.
should never be used under any circumstances.
D.
requires the use of a complete sampling frame.
Question #34
Random selection of elements in a sample can be accomplished by use of:
A.
A random number of tables.
B.
A table of random incidents.
C.
A table of random numbers.
D.
A table of random events.
Question #35
For which situation is cluster sampling most appropriate and efficient?
A.
a small population scattered across a wide geographic area
B.
a large population scattered across a wide geographic area
C.
a small population centered in one area
D.
a large population centered in one area
Question #36
If a researcher examines newspaper editorials from major U.S. cities that dealt with the topic of grade inflation, the unit of observation would be:
A.
major cities
B.
editorials
C.
grade inflation
D.
newspapers
Question #37
A.
Standard deviation is most appropriate for nominal variables.
B.
Means are most appropriate for ordinal variables.
C.
Medians are most appropriate for interval variables.
D.
Any of these can be used with an interval variable.
Question #38
Bonus: Which theorist offers a strategy which has no unit of analysis?
A.
Donald Black
B.
Max Weber
C.
Karl Marx
D.
Emile Durkheim
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