Chapter 2

Question 1

What is Science?

Answer 1

Any organized body of knowledge.

Question 2

What is the Scientific Method?

Answer 2

Method of explanation. Develops & tests theories about how observable facts or events are related.

Question 3

What is a Theory?

Answer 3

Casual explanation of relationship between observable facts/events.

Question 4

What is a Hypothesis?

Answer 4

Tentative statement about relationship between facts/events.

Question 5

What is a Variable?

Answer 5

Characteristic that varies among different individuals or groups.

Question 6

What is an Independent Variable?

Answer 6

Whatever is hypothesized to be the cause of something. What the experimenter manipulates.

Question 7

What is a Dependent Variable?

Answer 7

Whatever is hypothesized to be the effect of something. Variable that is measured.

Question 8

What does Significant mean?

Answer 8

Not likely to have occurred by chance.

Question 9

What is Correlation?

Answer 9

Significant relationship found in the data.

Question 10

What is Causation?

Answer 10

Significant relationship variable causes changes in another variable.

Question 11

What is an Inference?

Answer 11

A casual statement based on data showing a significant relationship.

Question 12

What is Spurious?

Answer 12

Describing a relationship among facts or events that is not casual but is a product of the fact that both the independent and dependent variables are being caused by a third factor.

Question 13

What is Deductive Reasoning?

Answer 13

To infer from a general theory to a particular case.

Question 14

What is Inductive Reasoning?

Answer 14

To observe one phenomenon or series of phenomenon and make general assertions based on that observation.

Question 15

What is Empirical?

Answer 15

Referring to observable facts and events; what is.

Question 16

What is Normative?

Answer 16

Referring to values or norms; what should be.

Question 17

What Scientific Attitude?

Answer 17

Doubt or skepticism about theories until they have been scientifically tested.

Question 18

What is a Universal Statement?

Answer 18

A statement that applies to every circumstance.

Question 19

What is a Probabilistic Statement?

Answer 19

A statement that applies to some proportion of circumstances.

Question 20

What is an Experiment?

Answer 20

A scientific test controlled by the researcher to observe effects of a specific program or treatment.

Question 21

What is the Experimental Group?

Answer 21

The group that will participate in the program or undergo the treatment under study.

Question 22

What is the Control Group?

Answer 22

Does not undergo treatment, used for comparison.

Question 23

What is a Null Hypothesis?

Answer 23

Statement that the program or treatment has no effect.

Question 24

What is the Sample?

Answer 24

In survey research, the people chosen to represent the opinions of a larger group.

Question 25

What is the Universe in survey research?

Answer 25

The whole group about which information is desired

Question 26

What is a Random Sample?

Answer 26

Subset of the population in which there is an equal chance of each person in the universe being selected in the sample.

Question 27

What is the Sampling Error?

Answer 27

The range of responses in which a 95% chance exists that the sample reflects the universe. (An equation)

Question 28

What is Public Opinion?

Answer 28

The collection of opinions of individuals on topics in survey research.

Question 29

What are Salient Issues?

Answer 29

Issues people think about most and hold strong and stable opinions about.

Question 30

What is a Push Poll?

Answer 30

A survey that asks questions in order to sway opinion for a particular candidate or position.

Question 31

What is the Halo Effect?

Answer 31

The tendency to give "good-citizen" responses to pollsters.

Question 32

What is Field Research?

Answer 32

Directly observing social behavior.

Question 33

What is Participant Observation?

Answer 33

Researchers both observe and participate in the behavior being studied.

Question 34

What is Ethnography?

Answer 34

Systematic description of a society's customary behaviors, believes, and attitudes.

Question 35

What is a Case Study?

Answer 35

An in-depth investigation of a particular event.

Question 36

What is the Sociological Perspective?

Answer 36

What we do and how we think are the result of exposure to human groups.