Chapter 2 Flashcards
(38 cards)
what is the difference b/t quantitative and qualitative research?
- quantitative is a technique in which researchers use and collect data
- qualitative is a technique which collects data based on descriptions
true or false:
quantitative research favours precise hypotheses, reproducible findings, and features/conditions
true
true or false:
one of the main goals of sociological research is to propose and examine models or reality a.k.a. theories
true
what makes a theory the “best”?
those that conform to the most facts, make the best predictions and has the fewest untestable assumptions
what are the basic steps in sociological research?
- create a theory
- form it into a hypothesis
- test the hypothesis either quantitatively, qualitatively or both
- repeat until it cannot be proven false
- conclusions/publish
what makes something a “good” sociological question to be tested?
- identifiable problem
- clear/concise measures
- narrowed scope
- defined population parameters
the fact that quantitative data collects and reports numerical data means that descriptive nuances are often left out. This is an example of:
A) an advantage
B) a disadvantage
C) bad research
B)
what are some advantages to quantitative research?
allows large amounts of data to be collected and model relt’ps and calculate stats
define empirical generalizations
statements show the events observed
fill in the blanks:
most social research requires (blank) - a method of research in which finding obtained for a representative group are generalized to the entire population
- sampling
true or false:
only qualitative research uses surveys
false both due
what are the 4 levels of measurement to analyze the relt’p among variables in quantitative surveys?
- nominal: categorical data/numbers (male/female)
- Odrinal: scale of an ordered series or ranks (big, bigger, biggest
- interval: units are equal distance from one another
- ratio: interval scale in which zero-point exists (describing someone as twice as tall)
fill in the blanks:
an important aspect of survey design is (blank) - process of defining and specifying the concepts that will be (blank) in the survey
- operationalization
- measured
what type of sampling to sociologists often settle for due to cost efficiency and convenience?
a) systemic
b) simple random
c) non-random
d) cluster
c)
fill in the blanks:
(blank) sampling - the easiest and cheapest made up of ppl (blank) and willing
- convenience
- nearby
true or false:
simple random sample is the biased but good reflection of ppl in the population
false: it’s unbiased
true or false:
systematic sampling is still random
true
gathering a sample of 5000 ppl and picking every 15th person is an example of what form of sampling?
a) convenience
b) systematic
c) stratified
b)
true or false:
stratified sampling divides the population into categories according to ethnic background
false: its categorized based on the character of interest
what is cluster sample?
divides the population into geographic locales then samples randomly taken within each locale
true or false:
cluster sampling is just like stratified only the characteristic of interest is location
true
is the snowball sampling cost-effective or expensive?
cost-effective
fill in the blanks:
snowball sample takes existing study subjects and gets them to (blank) for future subjects from within their own social (blank)
- recruit
- networks
what is quota sampling?
researcher defines categories and randomly draws a number of respondent within each category that way it’s both unbiased and has variety
