Research Design Test 1 Flashcards
SOAN 380 Vocab (176 cards)
1
Q
conflict of interest
A
if researchers’ interests or loyalties compromise the way they design, conduct, or report their research
2
Q
debriefing
A
the process of interviewing participants after the study and then informing them of the actual purpose of the experiment
3
Q
demand characteristics
A
the process whereby research subjects, when they become aware of a study’s hypothesis, behave in a way that confirms that hypothesis
4
Q
data swapping
A
a statistical technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data on households that have been matched on a set of key variables are swapped across blocks
5
Q
suppression
A
a technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data are simply not shown
6
Q
deductive disclosure
A
the use of unique combinations of variables to identify specific individuals in data sets
7
Q
certificate of confidentiality
A
a certificate issued by the National Institute of Health that allows researchers to protect participants from future requests for data disclosure
8
Q
confidentiality
A
when participants’ identifying information is only accessible to the research team
9
Q
anonymity
A
when no identifying information can be linked to respondents and even the researcher cannot identify them
10
Q
research protocol
A
a description from the researcher of the intended methods and procedures, target population and recruitment methods, possible risks and benefits of the study, and major research questions
11
Q
human subjects research
A
any study of persons that is a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge
12
Q
risk versus benefit analysis
A
an assessment in which the potential harms to research subjects are weighed against the potential benefits of the research
13
Q
nuremberg code
A
a set of ethical principles for human subjects research, including the requirement of informed consent, developed in the wake of the Nuremberg Trials following World War II
14
Q
institutional review board (IRB)
A
a committee located at an institution where research is done that is responsible for reviewing all research involving human subjects and preventing ethical violations in the research
15
Q
privacy
A
control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of sharing oneself with others
16
Q
vulnerable population
A
a group of people who cannot give informed consent, including those who are underage or have diminished mental capacity
17
Q
informed consent
A
the freedom to say yes or no to participating in a research study once all the possible risks and benefits have been properly explained
18
Q
justice
A
the principle that research must be conducted in a fair manner with the potential risks and benefits distributed equally among participants
19
Q
beneficence
A
the principle that refers to the responsibility to do good and to protect subjects from harm in a research study
20
Q
respect
A
the principle that people are to be treated as autonomous agents in research studies and that those with diminished autonomy receive protection
21
Q
mediating variable
A
the variable that links the independent variable to the dependent variable
22
Q
dependent variable
A
in a causal hypothesis, the variable that is acted upon; the outcome we are seeking to understand
23
Q
independent variable
A
in a causal hypothesis, the concept purported to be the cause; the variable on which values of the dependent variable may depend
24
Q
annotated bibliography
A
a list of cites with a short description of the content of the text as well as the reader’s thoughts on the text
25
abstract
a brief description of the comment of a scientific report
26
literature review
a systematic reading of the body of theory and evidence to determine what has been done (and how) and what needs to be done
27
variables
representations that capture the different dimensions, categories, or levels of a concept
28
operationalization
the process of linking the conceptualized variables to a set of procedures for measuring them
29
conceptualization
the process of precisely defining ideas and turning them into variables
30
causal inference
the degree of confidence that an observation based on the test of a hypothesis is truly causal
31
causal hypothesis
a statement that the relationship between two concepts is the result of cause and effect
32
hypothesis of association
a statement that two variable will increase or decrease together, without an explicit specification of cause and effect
33
hypothesis difference
a testable statement about group differences in some concept
34
null hypothesis
a hypothesis that no relationship between concepts exists or no difference in the dependent variable between groups exist
35
hypothesis
a testable statement of a relationship between two concepts
36
spuriousness
when an apparent relation between two concepts is actually the result of some third concept (confound) influencing both of them
37
moderation
the strength of the association between two variables is made weaker or stronger by a third variable
38
mediation
the expected relation between two concepts is channeled through a third concept that links them to each other
39
concept
an idea that can be named, defined, and eventually measured in some way
40
postmodernism
a paradigm characterized by significant skepticism of claims about general truths, facts, or principles
41
positivism
the paradigm holding that all knowledge can be confirmed or refuted through empirical observation
42
paradigm
a broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions about how social reality is to be defined
43
inductive approach
the process by which scientists draw a general understanding of some social phenomenon through specific empirical observations
44
meso level
the middle ground way of thinking about social life, focusing on the physical settings and organizations that link individuals to the larger society
45
micro level
the most intimate way of thinking about social life, focusing on face-to-face interaction and small-group processes
46
macro level
the broadest way of thinking about social life, focusing on the structure, composition, and processes of society
47
scientific method
the systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way
48
empiricism
the idea that the world can be subjected to observation, or the use of the senses to gather data about social phenomena
49
qualitative data analysis
the process by which researchers draw substantive findings from qualitative data such as text, audio, video, and photographs
50
quantitative data analysis
the process by which substantive findings are drawn from numerical data
51
sampling
the process of deciding what or whom to observe when you cannot observe and analyze everything or everyone
52
validity
a quality of a measure concerning how accurate it is
53
reliability
a quality of a measure concerning how dependable it is
54
ethics
the moral system that determines whether actions are right or wrong, good or bad
55
theory
a sequential argument consisting of a series of logically related statements put forward to illuminate some element of social life
56
explanatory research
research that documents the causes and effects of social phenomena, thus addressing questions of why
57
exploratory research
research that tends to answer questions of how, with the goal of documenting precisely how particular processes and dynamics unfold
58
descriptive research
research that documents or describes trends, variations, and patterns of social phenomena
59
value-free
the goal of being objective and not biased by personal ideologies
60
scientific method
the systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way
61
ecological fallacy
a mistake that researchers make by drawing conclusions about the micro level based on some macro-level analysis
62
unit of analysis
the level of social life about which we want to generalize
63
attrition
the loss of sample members over time, usually to death or dropout
64
prospective design
a study that follows individuals forward over time
65
cohort design
a type of longitudinal study design in which data are collected from a particular cohort at multiple time points
66
causality
a relationship where one factor or variable is dependent on another factor or variable
67
longitudinal study design
a study in which data are collected at multiple time points
68
panel design
a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected on the same subjects at multiple time points
69
repeated cross-sectional study design
a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected at multiple time points but from different subjects at each time point
70
cross-sectional study design
a study in which data are collected at only one time point
71
triangulation
the use of multiple methods to study the same general research question and determine if different types of evidence and approaches lead to consistent findings
72
mixed-methods approach
a general research approach that uses more than one method in a single study
73
quantitative research
research methods that rely on data that can be represented by and summarized into numbers
74
qualitative research
research methods that collect and analyze data that enable rich description in words or images
75
applied research
a form of research that seeks to answer a question or concrete problem in the real world or to evaluate a policy or program
76
basic research
a form of research that seeks to answer theoretically informed questions or to resolve a fundamental intellectual puzzle about social behavior
77
history
the study of past events, presidencies, social movements, or cultural patterns
78
psychology
the study of individual behavior, attitudes, and emotions, and their causes
79
cultural relativism
the principle whereby scholars refrain from making judgements about practices they observe and instead adopt the viewpoint of the communities being studied
80
anthropology
the study of societies and cultures, often non-Western
81
intersectionality
a theoretical tradition emphasizing that out overlapping identities and group memberships are critical to our life experiences
82
social structures
the patterned social arrangements that may constrain (or facilitate) our choices and opportunities
83
agency
our capacity to make our own choices and act autonomously
84
generalizable
the extent to which results or conclusions based on one population can be applied to others
85
sociological imagination
a distinctive viewpoint, originated by C. Wright Mills, recognizing that our personal experiences are powerfully shaped by macro social and historical forces
86
microsociology
the study of personal concerns and interpersonal interactions
87
macrosociology
the study of large-scale social systems and processes such at the political system or the economy
88
sociology
the scientific study of the social lives of individuals, groups, and societies
89
if researchers’ interests or loyalties compromise the way they design, conduct, or report their research
conflict of interest
90
the process of interviewing participants after the study and then informing them of the actual purpose of the experiment
debriefing
91
the process whereby research subjects, when they become aware of a study’s hypothesis, behave in a way that confirms that hypothesis
demand characteristics
92
a statistical technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data on households that have been matched on a set of key variables are swapped across blocks
data swapping
93
a technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data are simply not shown
suppression
94
the use of unique combinations of variables to identify specific individuals in data sets
deductive disclosure
95
a certificate issued by the National Institute of Health that allows researchers to protect participants from future requests for data disclosure
certificate of confidentiality
96
when participants’ identifying information is only accessible to the research team
confidentiality
97
when no identifying information can be linked to respondents and even the researcher cannot identify them
anonymity
98
a description from the researcher of the intended methods and procedures, target population and recruitment methods, possible risks and benefits of the study, and major research questions
research protocol
99
any study of persons that is a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge
human subjects research
100
an assessment in which the potential harms to research subjects are weighed against the potential benefits of the research
risk versus benefit analysis
101
a set of ethical principles for human subjects research, including the requirement of informed consent, developed in the wake of the Nuremberg Trials following World War II
nuremberg code
102
a committee located at an institution where research is done that is responsible for reviewing all research involving human subjects and preventing ethical violations in the research
institutional review board (IRB)
103
control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of sharing oneself with others
privacy
104
a group of people who cannot give informed consent, including those who are underage or have diminished mental capacity
vulnerable population
105
the freedom to say yes or no to participating in a research study once all the possible risks and benefits have been properly explained
informed consent
106
the principle that research must be conducted in a fair manner with the potential risks and benefits distributed equally among participants
justice
107
the principle that refers to the responsibility to do good and to protect subjects from harm in a research study
beneficence
108
the principle that people are to be treated as autonomous agents in research studies and that those with diminished autonomy receive protection
respect
109
the variable that links the independent variable to the dependent variable
mediating variable
110
in a causal hypothesis, the variable that is acted upon; the outcome we are seeking to understand
dependent variable
111
in a causal hypothesis, the concept purported to be the cause; the variable on which values of the dependent variable may depend
independent variable
112
a list of cites with a short description of the content of the text as well as the reader’s thoughts on the text
annotated bibliography
113
a brief description of the comment of a scientific report
abstract
114
a systematic reading of the body of theory and evidence to determine what has been done (and how) and what needs to be done
literature review
115
representations that capture the different dimensions, categories, or levels of a concept
variables
116
the process of linking the conceptualized variables to a set of procedures for measuring them
operationalization
117
the process of precisely defining ideas and turning them into variables
conceptualization
118
the degree of confidence that an observation based on the test of a hypothesis is truly causal
causal inference
119
a statement that the relationship between two concepts is the result of cause and effect
causal hypothesis
120
a statement that two variable will increase or decrease together, without an explicit specification of cause and effect
hypothesis of association
121
a testable statement about group differences in some concept
hypothesis difference
122
a hypothesis that no relationship between concepts exists or no difference in the dependent variable between groups exist
null hypothesis
123
a testable statement of a relationship between two concepts
hypothesis
124
when an apparent relation between two concepts is actually the result of some third concept (confound) influencing both of them
spuriousness
125
the strength of the association between two variables is made weaker or stronger by a third variable
moderation
126
the expected relation between two concepts is channeled through a third concept that links them to each other
mediation
127
an idea that can be named, defined, and eventually measured in some way
concept
128
a paradigm characterized by significant skepticism of claims about general truths, facts, or principles
postmodernism
129
the paradigm holding that all knowledge can be confirmed or refuted through empirical observation
positivism
130
a broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions about how social reality is to be defined
paradigm
131
the process by which scientists draw a general understanding of some social phenomenon through specific empirical observations
inductive approach
132
the middle ground way of thinking about social life, focusing on the physical settings and organizations that link individuals to the larger society
meso level
133
the most intimate way of thinking about social life, focusing on face-to-face interaction and small-group processes
micro level
134
the broadest way of thinking about social life, focusing on the structure, composition, and processes of society
macro level
135
the systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way
scientific method
136
the idea that the world can be subjected to observation, or the use of the senses to gather data about social phenomena
empiricism
137
the process by which researchers draw substantive findings from qualitative data such as text, audio, video, and photographs
qualitative data analysis
138
the process by which substantive findings are drawn from numerical data
quantitative data analysis
139
the process of deciding what or whom to observe when you cannot observe and analyze everything or everyone
sampling
140
a quality of a measure concerning how accurate it is
validity
141
a quality of a measure concerning how dependable it is
reliability
142
the moral system that determines whether actions are right or wrong, good or bad
ethics
143
a sequential argument consisting of a series of logically related statements put forward to illuminate some element of social life
theory
144
research that documents the causes and effects of social phenomena, thus addressing questions of why
explanatory research
145
research that tends to answer questions of how, with the goal of documenting precisely how particular processes and dynamics unfold
exploratory research
146
research that documents or describes trends, variations, and patterns of social phenomena
descriptive research
147
the goal of being objective and not biased by personal ideologies
value-free
148
the systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way
scientific method
149
a mistake that researchers make by drawing conclusions about the micro level based on some macro-level analysis
ecological fallacy
150
the level of social life about which we want to generalize
unit of analysis
151
the loss of sample members over time, usually to death or dropout
attrition
152
a study that follows individuals forward over time
prospective design
153
a type of longitudinal study design in which data are collected from a particular cohort at multiple time points
cohort design
154
a relationship where one factor or variable is dependent on another factor or variable
causality
155
a study in which data are collected at multiple time points
longitudinal study design
156
a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected on the same subjects at multiple time points
panel design
157
a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected at multiple time points but from different subjects at each time point
repeated cross-sectional study design
158
a study in which data are collected at only one time point
cross-sectional study design
159
the use of multiple methods to study the same general research question and determine if different types of evidence and approaches lead to consistent findings
triangulation
160
a general research approach that uses more than one method in a single study
mixed-methods approach
161
research methods that rely on data that can be represented by and summarized into numbers
quantitative research
162
research methods that collect and analyze data that enable rich description in words or images
qualitative research
163
a form of research that seeks to answer a question or concrete problem in the real world or to evaluate a policy or program
applied research
164
a form of research that seeks to answer theoretically informed questions or to resolve a fundamental intellectual puzzle about social behavior
basic research
165
the study of past events, presidencies, social movements, or cultural patterns
history
166
the study of individual behavior, attitudes, and emotions, and their causes
psychology
167
the principle whereby scholars refrain from making judgements about practices they observe and instead adopt the viewpoint of the communities being studied
cultural relativism
168
the study of societies and cultures, often non-Western
anthropology
169
a theoretical tradition emphasizing that out overlapping identities and group memberships are critical to our life experiences
intersectionality
170
the patterned social arrangements that may constrain (or facilitate) our choices and opportunities
social structures
171
our capacity to make our own choices and act autonomously
agency
172
the extent to which results or conclusions based on one population can be applied to others
generalizable
173
a distinctive viewpoint, originated by C. Wright Mills, recognizing that our personal experiences are powerfully shaped by macro social and historical forces
sociological imagination
174
the study of personal concerns and interpersonal interactions
microsociology
175
the study of large-scale social systems and processes such at the political system or the economy
macrosociology
176
the scientific study of the social lives of individuals, groups, and societies
sociology
