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.
intuition and mysticism
B.
tradition
C.
tradition, intuition, and mysticism
Question #2
Which of these was not given as an advantage for science as a way of knowing?
A.
ability to capture absolute truth about reality
B.
systematic reduction of bias
C.
audience appeal
D.
clear criteria for evaluation
Question #3
Science offers total protection against the errors nonscientists commit in casual inquiry.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #4
With which of these ontological approaches are scientists often accused of being aligned?
A.
realism
B.
post-modernism
C.
empiricism
D.
positivism
Question #5
Which of these ontological approaches does the instructor say science employs?
A.
empricism
B.
post-modernism
C.
positivism
D.
realism
Question #6
Which of these barriers to knowledge can be overcome somewhat by using large samples and replication?
A.
overgeneralization
B.
ecological fallacy
C.
Hawthorne effect
D.
illogical reasoning
Question #7
According to the “wheel of science” idea, science is primarily…
A.
inductive
B.
deductive
C.
deductive and inductive
D.
none of the above
Question #8
The statement “wealthy countries should give aid to poorer countries” is a…
A.
hypothesis
B.
value judgement
C.
theory
D.
bivariate conceptualization
Question #9
Which of the following did the instructor present as the most important criteria of “good theory”?
A.
testability
B.
generality
C.
originality
D.
simplicity
Question #10
Idiographic explanations seek to explain things “economically”, using as few factors as possible.
A.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
Question #11
According to the instructor, which of these is not a unique purpose of sociological research?
A.
exploration
B.
explanation
C.
evaluation
D.
description
Question #12
Which of the following ought (according to the instructor) to occur before operationalization?
A.
data processing
B.
statistical analysis
C.
sampling procedures
D.
choice of observation method
Question #13
The unit of analysis and the unit of observation need to be the same thing.
A.
TRUE
B.
FALSE
Question #14
Unlike operations, concepts are:
A.
abstract
B.
variable
C.
observable
D.
measurable
Question #15
Compared to qualitative data, quantitative data are…
A.
less explicit
B.
less reliable
C.
easier to aggregate
D.
richer in meaning
Question #16
Which of the following is not a longitudinal design?
A.
cohort study
B.
panel study
C.
trend study
D.
cross-sectional study
Question #17
If accuracy has three parts, which of these is not one of them?
A.
validity
B.
reliability
C.
truth
D.
precision
Question #18
Which of the following is a weakness of qualitative analysis:
A.
typically small samples mean that there is a problem with inferences and personal and personnel differences introduce problems with reliability
B.
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
C.
personal and personnel differences introduce problems with reliability
D.
reliability and replicability problems raise questions about objectivity
Question #19
Which method of checking reliability requires some kind of longitudinal study?
A.
test-retest method
B.
split-half method
C.
using established measures
D.
Cronbach's alpha
Question #20
Which type of validity depends on a relationship among variables?
A.
face
B.
content
C.
criterion
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.
You could use established codes or generate your own.
C.
Codebooks should be firm, and not allowed to evolve over time.
D.
Coding schemes should be appropriate to the theoretical concepts examined.
Question #22
Which of these internal threats to validity does not result from interaction between researcher and subjects?
A.
sleeper effects
B.
Hawthorne effect
C.
sensitization
D.
personal attribute effect
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.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
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.
C.
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.
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.
FALSE
B.
TRUE
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.
Guttman scales
B.
Thurstone scales
C.
Likert 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 frame
B.
the sample
C.
the main cluster
D.
the sampling error
Question #30
To study a fairly rare characteristic or behavior, which kind of sample are you more likely to use?
A.
Probability, because there is no sampling frame.
B.
Non-probability, because there is no sampling frame.
C.
Probability, because that’s always the best.
D.
Non-probability, because that’s always the best.
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.
cluster sampling
B.
quota sampling
C.
stratified sampling
D.
simple random sampling
Question #32
The statistical computations involved in the most commonly used test statistics assume:
A.
strafied sampling
B.
cluster sampling
C.
simple random sampling
D.
systematic 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 table of random incidents.
B.
A table of random events.
C.
A table of random numbers.
D.
A random number of tables.
Question #35
For which situation is cluster sampling most appropriate and efficient?
A.
a small population scattered across a wide geographic area
B.
a small population centered in one area
C.
a large population centered in one area
D.
a large population scattered across a wide geographic 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.
grade inflation
B.
major cities
C.
editorials
D.
newspapers
Question #37
Which is correct?
A.
Standard deviation is most appropriate for nominal variables.
B.
Means are most appropriate for ordinal variables.
C.
Any of these can be used with an interval variable.
D.
Medians are most appropriate for interval variables.
Question #38
Bonus: Which theorist offers a strategy which has no unit of analysis?
A.
Max Weber
B.
Emile Durkheim
C.
Donald Black
D.
Karl Marx
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