Social Statistics

Question 1

a set of procedures used by social scientists to organize, summarize, and communicate numerical information

Answer 1

statistics

Question 2

information represented by numbers, which can be the subject of statistical analysis

Answer 2

data

Question 3

research process

Answer 3

a set of activities in which scientists engage to answer questions, examine ideas, or test theories

Question 4

five stages of the research process

Answer 4

1. asking the research question
2. forming the hypothesis
3. collecting data
4. analyzing data
5. evaluating the hypothesis

Question 5

empirical research

Answer 5

research based on evidence that can be verified by using our direct experience

Question 6

theory

Answer 6

a set of assumptions and propositions used to explain, predict, and understand social phenomenon

Question 7

hypothesis

Answer 7

a statement predicting the relationship between two or more observable attributes

Question 8

variable

Answer 8

a property of people or objects that takes on two or more values

Question 9

unit of analysis

Answer 9

the object of research, such as individuals, groups, organizations or social artifacts

Question 10

dependent variable

Answer 10

the variable to be explained, the effect

Question 11

independent variable

Answer 11

the variable expected to count for (the cause f) the dependent variable

Question 12

nominal level of measurement

Answer 12

numbers or other symbols are assigned to a set of categories for the purpose of naming, labeling, or classifying the observations

Question 13

there should be enough categories composing the variables to classify every observation

Answer 13

exhaustive

Question 13

can nominal categories be rank-ordered?

Answer 13

no

Question 14

there is only one category suitable for each observation

Answer 14

mutually exclusive

Question 15

ordinal level of measurement

Answer 15

numbers are assigned to rank order categories. ranging from low to high or high to low.

Question 16

interval-ratio level of measurement

Answer 16

measurement for all cases are expressed in the same units and equally spaced. Interval- ratio values can be rank ordered.

Question 17

Dichotomous Varaible

Answer 17

a variable that has only two values

Question 18

Number of Children per family is an example of a continuous or discrete variable?

Answer 18

discrete

Question 19

variables that do not have a minimum sized unit of measurement. their range of values can be subdivided into increasingly smaller fractional values.

Answer 19

continuous variables

Question 20

variables with a minimum sized unit of measurement that can not be subdivided.

Answer 20

discrete variables

Question 21

Length is an example of continuous or discrete variable?

Answer 21

continuous

Question 22

population

Answer 22

the total set of of individuals, objects, groups, or events in which a researcher is interested.

Question 23

sample

Answer 23

a subset of cases selected from a population

Question 24

population

Answer 24

the process of identifying and selecting a subset of a population for study

Question 25

descriptive statistics

Answer 25

procedures that help us organize and describe data collected from either a sample or a population

Question 26

inferential statistics

Answer 26

the logic and procedures concerned with making predictions or inferences about a population based on observations and analysis of a sample.

Question 27

what are two overarching sets of questions we ask in social statistics?

Answer 27

How do social arrangements affect the human condition? How do humans influence these social arrangements?

Question 28

The process of making appropriate empirical observations or measurements.

Answer 28

social research

Question 29

what is the purpose of social research?

Answer 29

test theories or gain sufficient knowledge about some portion of reality so that you can theorize about it.

Question 30

numerical information collected for research purposes

Answer 30

data

Question 31

data that has been carefully and systematically collected

Answer 31

empirical data

Question 32

a commitment to exploring data rather than proving or disproving a certain concept.

Answer 32

value neutrality

Question 33

Mark Twain said There are three kinds of lies:

Answer 33

Lies, damn lies and statistics

Question 34

logical groupings of attributes (something that varies)

Answer 34

variables

Question 35

the number or category that a score can have

Answer 35

value

Question 36

a particular person's value on a variable

Answer 36

score

Question 37

the variable to be explained (the effect)

Answer 37

dependent variable

Question 38

the variable expected to account for the dependent variable (the cause)

Answer 38

independent variable

Question 39

what variable is always the property you are trying to explain? That is always the object of research?

Answer 39

dependent variable

Question 40

Social scientists begin studies with (_________________________ ) and then investigate using empirical evidence

Answer 40

questions

Question 41

an explanation of how things relate to eachother

Answer 41

theory

Question 42

a statement about the relationship between variables that is specific and exact

Answer 42

hypothesis

Question 43

hypothesis that suggests there is no relationship between the variables under study.

Answer 43

null hypothesis

Question 44

What are the 3 criteria for causality?

Answer 44

1. A statistical correlation between the two variables. 2. The cause takes place before the effect in time order. 3. There is no third variable that can explain the observed correlation as false

Question 45

spurious

Answer 45

false

Question 46

a relationship between variables that is not genuine, or is a coincidence

Answer 46

spurious

Question 47

ecological fallacy

Answer 47

assuming something learned about an ecological unit says something about the individuals in the unit

Question 48

drawing inferences about groups using evidence about individuals.

Answer 48

reductionistic fallacy

Question 49

inference

Answer 49

a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence

Question 50

Σ

Answer 50

Upper Case Sigma Means you should add up the sum of all the variables

Question 51

Y

Answer 51

represents the score of a variable

Question 52

ΣY 2

Answer 52

the sum of squared scores

Question 53

(ΣY)2

Answer 53

the sum of scores squared

Question 54

3(4)

Answer 54

multiply 3 x 4

Question 55

(5)6

Answer 55

multiply 5x6

Question 56

(4)(2)

Answer 56

multiply 4x2

Question 57

9∗ 6

Answer 57

multiply 9x 6

Question 58

4 /6

Answer 58

divide 4 by 6

Question 59

(≠)

Answer 59

not equal to

Question 60

>

Answer 60

greater than

Question 61

<

Answer 61

less than

Question 62

≥

Answer 62

greater than or equal to

Question 63

≤

Answer 63

less than or equal to

Question 64

P

Answer 64

proportion

Question 65

f

Answer 65

frequency

Question 66

N

Answer 66

total number of cases in a catagory

Question 67

rules of precedence

Answer 67

solve all squares and square roots first, then multiplication and division, and, finally, all addition and subtraction from left to right

Question 68

Do you solve an expression with parentheses or brackets first ?

Answer 68

parentheses

Question 69

turning abstract conceptual ideas into measurable observations

Answer 69

operationalize

Question 70

variable that has a category of measurement that can be infinitetly devided

Answer 70

continuous variable

Question 71

variable that has a category of measurement that are countable and indivisible

Answer 71

discrete variable

Question 72

dummy variable

Answer 72

has only two categories

Question 73

a curve, you fold it in half it is the same

Answer 73

symmetrical

Question 74

a curve that has a single peak in the center

Answer 74

unimodal

Question 75

where do the mean median and mode reside on a curve?

Answer 75

in the middle

Question 76

a line that gets closer and closer to a curve as the distance gets closer to infinity.

Answer 76

asymptotic

Question 77

information acquired by scientists through experimentation and observation

Answer 77

empirical data

Question 78

the number that occurs most often in a data set

Answer 78

mode

Question 79

the middle value when a data set is ordered from least to greatest

Answer 79

median

Question 80

average found by adding all numbers in the data set and then dividing by the number of values in the set

Answer 80

the mean

Question 81

a relationship between two events, or variables, in which one event or process causes an effect on the other event or process

Answer 81

causality

Question 82

the three criteria for causality

Answer 82

time order correlation non spuriousness.

Question 83

time order

Answer 83

the cause takes place before the effect

Question 84

Relationship between two variables that is not due to variation in a third variable.

Answer 84

non spuriousness.

Question 85

a coincidence caused by a third variable, relationships between variables that arent' genuine

Answer 85

spurious

Question 86

the level of social life on which the research focuses.

Answer 86

unit of analysis

Question 87

individuals, groups, organizations, and geographic sections are all

Answer 87

units ofanalysis

Question 88

when we take information obtained at a higher level and apply it down to a lower level.

Answer 88

ecological phallacy

Question 89

dependability or consistency of a measure. (if you repeat a survey you should get consistent results)

Answer 89

reliability

Question 90

refers to how well the measure is an accurate representation, the concept one to capture

Answer 90

validity

Question 91

_____________ statistics analyze samplings to make predictions about larger populations measures we use to make inferences about the population from which we drew our sample

Answer 91

inferential

Question 92

computations of statistics that describe the characteristics of a sample or the relationships among variables in a sample

Answer 92

descriptive

Question 93

the number of observations in each category of a variable

Answer 93

frequency

Question 94

P= f ____ N

Answer 94

porportion

Question 95

N

Answer 95

total number of cases

Question 96

a relative frequency obtained by dividing the frequency in each category by the total number of cases and multiplying by 100

Answer 96

percentage

Question 97

Numbers that describe what is typical or average (central) in a distribution

Answer 97

central tendency

Question 98

Numbers that describe diversity or variability in the distribution

Answer 98

measures of variability

Question 99

an idea of how the scores are scattered around the distribution

Answer 99

dispersion

Question 100

an idea of how the scores are scattered around the distribution

Answer 100

IQV index of qualatative variation

Question 101

A quick (but rough) measure of variability It is the difference between the highest and lowest scores in the distribution

Answer 101

range

Question 102

R = highest score in the distribution - lowest score in the distribution. what is r?

Answer 102

range

Question 103

a measurement of the spread between numbers in a data set.

Answer 103

variance

Question 104

A measure of variability that we obtain by summing the squared deviations from the mean, dividing by N, and then taking the square root  Allows us to present a meaningful measurement (in relation to variance which is presented in units squared)

Answer 104

standard deviation