Chapter 2 - Soc Research Flashcards
(31 cards)
a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables
Hypothesis
a study’s participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population
Random sample
data that are collected directly from firsthand experience
Primary data
a sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing
Interpretive framework
a measure of a study’s consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
Reliability
the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study
Validity
using data collected by others but applying new interpretations
Secondary data analysis
a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology
code of ethics
The testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions
Experiment
a defined group serving as the subject of a study
Population
evidence that comes from direct experience, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation
Empirical evidence
observing a complete social setting and all that it entails
ethnography
when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an “insider” perspective
Participant observation
small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population
Samples
when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher
Hawthorne effect
using secondary data, does not include direct contact with subjects and will not alter or influence people’s behaviors
Nonreactive research
specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study
Operational definitions
a technique in which the results of virtually all previous studies on a specific subject are evaluated together
Meta analysis
Gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or survey
Field research
in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual
case study
a variable charged by other variables
dependent variable
collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about behaviors and opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire
Surveys
a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research
Literature review
when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does not necessarily indicate causation
correlation
