CHP2 Vocab

Question 1

in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual

Answer 1

case study

Question 2

a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

Answer 2

code of ethics

Question 3

applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand

Answer 3

content analysis

Question 4

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable, but does not necessarily indicate causation

Answer 4

correlation

Question 5

looking beyond the obvious to expose falseness by examining merit, logic, and evidence.

Answer 5

debunking

Question 6

a variable changed by other variables

Answer 6

dependent variables

Question 7

evidence that comes from direct observations, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation

Answer 7

empirical evidence

Question 8

participating and observing thinking and behavior in a social setting

Answer 8

ethnography

Question 9

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

Answer 9

experiment

Question 10

gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a survey

Answer 10

field research

Question 11

when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher

Answer 11

Hawthorne effect

Question 12

a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables

Answer 12

hypothesis

Question 13

variables that cause changes in dependent variables

Answer 13

independent variables

Question 14

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

Answer 14

interpretive framework

Question 15

a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject

Answer 15

interview

Question 16

a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research

Answer 16

literature review

Question 17

using secondary data, does not include direct contact with research subjects and does not alter or influence people’s behaviors

Answer 17

nonreactive research

Question 18

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

Answer 18

operational definitions

Question 19

when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an “insider” perspective

Answer 19

participant observation

Question 20

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

Answer 20

population

Question 21

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

Answer 21

primary data

Question 22

non-numerical, descriptive data that is often subjective and based on what is experienced in a natural setting

Answer 22

qualitative data

Question 23

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed using statistics

Answer 23

quantitative data

Question 24

a study’s participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population

Answer 24

random sample

Question 25

a measure of a study’s consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced

Answer 25

reliability

Question 26

small, manageable number of subjects that represent the population

Answer 26

samples

Question 27

an established scholarly research that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing a data collection method, gathering data, and drawing conclusions

Answer 27

scientific method

Question 28

using data collected by others and applying new interpretations

Answer 28

secondary data analysis

Question 29

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about thinking, behaviors, and opinions, often in the form of a questionnaire

Answer 29

surveys

Question 30

the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study

Answer 30

validity

Question 31

a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results

Answer 31

value neutrality