research methods

Question 1

what is the purpose of research in the social sciences

Answer 1

the main focus of the social sciences is understanding or changing human behavior

Question 2

what does psychology study

Answer 2

internal cognitive causes, individual behaviors specific relationships/ environments a person might be in

Question 3

what does sociology study?

Answer 3

how certian groups of people are treated/ behave differently from one another

Question 4

anthropology

Answer 4

how values traditions, ideologies, norms influence behavior, culture-specific behaviors

Question 5

woman and gender studies

Answer 5

how and why behaviors/ experiences differ by gender

Question 6

what is the goal of basic research

Answer 6

describe some aspect of society and advance or understanding of it

Question 7

what is the goal of applied research

Answer 7

to directly address some problem or need

Question 8

what are the 4 elements of social science research?

Answer 8

1. patterns in social life
2. empirical evidence
3. transparency of methods
4. provisional knowledge

Question 9

empirical evidence

Answer 9

evidance that can be observed or documented using human senses

Question 10

what is quantitative data

Answer 10

evidance that can be summarized numerically

Question 11

what does qualitative data mean

Answer 11

evidence that is not numerical in nature

Question 12

variables

Answer 12

measures that have different values

Question 13

what are independent variables

Answer 13

associated with causes that change in the value of dependent variable

Question 14

what are dependent variables

Answer 14

changes in response to the independent variable

Question 15

what does correlation mean

Answer 15

a relationship in which change in one variable is connected to change in another

Question 16

hypothesis

Answer 16

a statement about the relationship between variables that is to be investigated

Question 17

what is transparency of methods

Answer 17

the requirement that researchers explain how they collected and analyzed their evidence and how they reached their conclusions

Question 18

what is provisional knowledge

Answer 18

claims that are tentative and open to revision in the face of new evidence

Question 19

what is a challenge of social research?

Answer 19

-researchers are often unable to control conditions
-social life cannot be predicted
-humans are conscious of being studied which may change their behavior (Hawthorne effect)

Question 20

hawthorne effect

Answer 20

humans are conscious of being studied which may change their behavior

Question 21

what is theory research dynamic?

Answer 21

highlighting key questions, explaining collected data, seeing connections

Question 22

what are the research methods in the social sciences

Answer 22

surveys, interviews and focus groups, field research, existing sources

Question 23

what are surveys

Answer 23

a data collection techniguq that involves asking someone a series of questions

Question 24

what is a population

Answer 24

the target group a researcher is interested in studying

Question 25

sample

Answer 25

part of the population that represents the whole

Question 26

generalize

Answer 26

describing patters of behavior of a larger population based on findings from a sample

Question 27

what is a random sample

Answer 27

a sample in which every element of population has an equal chance of being chosen

Question 28

convenience sample

Answer 28

a sample that is not representatice in statistical sense of a broader target population

Question 29

quota sample

Answer 29

specific groups in the broader target population are included in representative proprtions

Question 30

closed ended questions

Answer 30

are quntitative data

Question 31

open ended questions

Answer 31

qualitative data

Question 32

intensive interviews and focus groups

Answer 32

a data gathering technique that uses open ended questions during somewhat lengthy face to face sessions

Question 32

field research/ ethnography

Answer 32

a data collection technique in which the researcher systematically observes some aspect of social life in its natrual setting

Question 32

what are the subcategories of existing sources

Answer 32

secondary data analysis, content analysis

Question 33

what is institutional review board

Answer 33

reviews research studies to ensure that they comply with applicable regulations and meet commonly accepted ethical standards

Question 33

what are the categories of research ethics

Answer 33

anonymity, confidentiality, informed consent, institutional review board

Question 33

what is secondary data analysis

Answer 33

what is secondary data analysis

Question 33

content analysis

Answer 33

a variety of techniques that enable researchers to systemically summarise and anlyzye the content of various forms of communications