Research Methods
These are an advantage AND disadvantage of using surveys to collect data. (One each!)
Advantages: inexpensive, simple/quick, high response rates, generalizable
Disadvantages: lack of clarity, dishonest self-reporting, self-selecting respondents
This is the reason why it's important to have a sample that fully represents the population you're studying.
What is "if it's not, your findings aren't generalizable?"
This is the joke found in the main character's name.
What is "True-Man + Burbank?"
(only genuine person on show + place in California where movie studios film)
This is the definition of ethics in sociology.
What is "moral principles that govern the conduct of researchers in their study of human beings?"
This sociologist said “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”
Who is Alexis De Tocqueville?
This is why scientists are so concerned with scientific methodology.
What is "the scientific method is needed in order to develop reliable results when studying complex human behavior?"
This is the definition of the Hawthorne Effect.
What is "the phenomenon where people change their behavior because they know they are being observed or are part of a study?"
This is Truman's biggest fear, why he has it, and why Christof made him have it.
What is "water/the ocean, his dad drowned, and a way to prevent Truman from exploring outside of Seahaven?"
This is the experiment that assigned participants prisoner/guard roles and let conditions get wildly out of hand.
What is the Zimbardo Experiment/Stanford Prison Experiment?
This term (+ who coined the term!) refers to the idea that sociology must be empirical and explained using observation, experimentation, data, etc.
What is "Positivist Philosophy/Positivism and Comte?"
This is the main difference in primary and secondary research.
What is "first-hand experiment/data/accounts/etc. v. taking other's results to develop your theory?"
This is an example of qualitative data a sociologist could collect.
What is _______ (data that's not-numerical?)
This is THREE examples of Truman's fake world breaking down around him.
What is "light falling from sky, craft services in elevator, makeup napkin on travel agent, radio messing up, people repeating their routines, etc?"
These are the three pillars of ethics in sociological study.
What is "do not harm, informed consent, and confidentiality?"
This lens analyzes social phenomena at a micro-level to explain individual behaviors and understanding.
What is Symbolic Interactionism?
This is the main difference between participant observation and ethnography.
What is "amount of time together/level of immersion/goal of study?"
This is the difference between correlation and causation.
What is "correlation means two variables are related, but DON'T cause one another to change?"
This is the primary way The Truman Show's TV network makes money while on air.
What is advertising/product placement?
This is the experiment that gave hundreds of men syphilis without their consent.
What is the Tuskegee Experiment?
This is a basic definition of conflict theory AND one of its sociologists.
What is "the assumption that social structures, institutions, and phenomena benefit a particular group at the expense of others" and "Marx/Weber/Du Bois/Adorno?"
These are the definitions of independent, dependent, and control variables.
Dependent: what you're measuring
Independent: what you're changing
Control: what you're keeping constant/unchanged during the research process
This is the definition of inductive reasoning AND an example we've discussed in class (or one you come up with on your own.)
What is "You notice that many of your friends feel pressured to post "perfect" photos on social media. You gather your own data and develop a theory that social media creates unrealistic standards for appearance and happiness?"
If we think of The Truman Show as an unethical sociological study, this is who Sylvia represents.
What is "conscientious objector/person protesting unethical conditions/advocate?"
This is why oppressed/minority populations were often used for unethical sociological research.
What is "compromised social position makes them vulnerable to exploitation and less able for self-advocacy in the media?"
This is a functionalist explanation to our form of American public education.
What is "public education leads to better social cohesion and citizen participation in government/economy/etc.?"