What is a description of the state or operation of some aspect of the universe upon which individuals or groups act
100
The kind of research we do all depends on what?
What is the researcher wants to know. Also depends on what we think we can do as researchers.
100
What is theory?
What is
Theory=statement(s)of how and why things are the way they are
Develop theories that try to explain how society(or specific things within our society) works; an aaempt to understand why we do the things we do
100
What does science refer to?
What is 1)a system for producing knowledge
and 2) knowledge produced from that system (i.e., scientific knowledge)
100
There are several reasons as to what sets science apart from other ways of knowing. What are two of these reasons?
What is
- Tend to see knowledge produced through science as being more true or factual
- Assumed to be untainted by political or personal bias (i.e., we tend to think this knowledge is objective)
- Assume this knowledge to be reliable and can thus be used with predictable results
200
Knowledge about the world can come from a variety of sources, such as eduction and training, and personal experience. What are two other ways?
What is Media and Tradition or custom (e.g., folk tales, superstitions, etc.)
200
After selecting a topic, we must come up with what?
What is a clear and answerable research question.
200
Compare macro level to micro level theory using examples.
What is Macro-level (large scale social processes) vs. micro- level theory (smaller interacKons between individuals)
200
What is a hypothesis?
What is see textbook...
200
True or False: The norms of the scientific community are simply ideals – most working scientists would admit that these norms can be difficult to live up to
What is True
300
You may believe something to be ‘true’ based on....
What is authority, tradition, common sense, and personal experience
300
Once we have a research question, we can then come up with a plan for what?
What is collecting and analyzing data that will help us address this question.
300
True or False: Theory can either be the star(ng point of research or the end result of the research process... depending on the approach you take
What is True
300
What is often the toughest part of the research process?
What is developing a research question. The question often undergo several iterations during the research process.
300
Compare and contrast univariate and bivariate analysis.
What is
Social scientist interested in studying variability and differences
• Variables = properties of objects that can change or vary (e.g., social class); a way of concretizing the things we are interested in measuring
• Can use these variables to perform univariate analyses (e.g., average score on an exam)
• Can also perform bivariate analyses to study the relationship between two variables (e.g., the relationship between studying time and exam performance)
• This type of analysis highlights the difference between independent and dependent variables
400
We often believe scientific research is done:
What is
– Systematically (using methods that allow us to observe a parJcular phenomenon)
– Objectively
– Collectively (in scienJfic ‘communities’)
– Openly (and subject to scrutiny)
– Self-consciously (i.e., constantly examining their own work and the work of others)
– Based on empirical evidence
400
Name and describe the four steps to creating a research question.
What is
Step 1: Brainstorming... What am I interested in researching? Pre-research and reading is essential here!
Step 2: Focus your topic; narrow it down to something ‘doable’ (which will depend on what you are trying to produce and the timelines/ resources with which you are working)
Step 3: Formulate a quesKon and be clear about the concepts you are using (continuously ask yourself the quesKon, ‘what do I mean?’)
Step 4: Revise and re-write the question
400
List the steps in the deductive research cycle
What is
Theories
Hypotheses
Observations
Generalizations
Knowledge
400
Define operationalization
What is see textbook.
400
Define independent and dependent variable and provide an example for each.
What is
Independent variables = those that initiate change
Dependent variables = those that express outcomes
500
Name and describe the four norms of the scientific community.
What is
– Detachment: the motive of scientists should be the advancement of science, and the scienJst should have no psychological commitment to a parJcular point of view
– Universality: the results of experiments formulated with the scientific method should transcend person, time, and place
– Skepticism: all claims should be scrutinized for error
– Public accessibility: all scientific knowledge should be
freely available to anyone
500
Name and describe the four research objectives.
What is
Exploratory (want to do preliminary exploraDon about a topic that has yet to be fully studied)
Descriptive and/or analytical (want to describe and analyze some social phenomena in detail)
Prescriptive (may want to conduct research that allows one to prescribe some recommendation)
Hypothesis testing (may want to test whether there is a relationship between variable X and variable Y?)
500
List the steps in the inductive research cycle
What is
Observations
Generalizations
Theories
Hypotheses
Knowledge
500
As researchers, we must ensure that the our measurement tools are both valid and reliable. Define validity and reliability and provide an example for each
What is
Validity = How well a test measures what it is purported to measure
Reliability = The degree to which an assessment tool produces stable and consistent results
500
While we may see a correlation between two variables, we must always be careful about claiming causality.Q uantitative researchers use three criteria to determine whether a relationship is a causal connection. These criteria include what?
What is
Association – requires evidence that a chance in the independent variable is actually connected to a systematic change in the dependent variable
Sequence – requires evidence that the independent variable changed prior to changes in the dependent variable
Non-spuriousness – does the relationship really exist? Or is some other variable at play here?