RESEARCH METHODS TEST #7 TERMS WELL EXPLAINED
Selective Observation - correct answer choosing to only look at things that are in line
with our preferences or beliefs
Inaccurate Observation - correct answer an observation based on faulty perceptions
Overgeneralizations - correct answer occurs when we unjustifiably conclude what is true
for SOME is true in all cases
Resistance to Change - correct answer reluctance to change our ideas in light of new
information
Reasons for Research - correct answer policy, academic, personal
Descriptive Research - correct answer research in which social phenomena are defined
and described
Exploratory Research - correct answer research that seeks to find out how people get
along in the setting under question, what meanings they give to their actions, and what
issues concern them; no explicit expectations
Explanatory Research - correct answer seeks to identify the causes and effects of social
phenomena and to predict how one phenomena will change/vary in response to change
in another phenomenon
Evaluation Research - correct answer research that describes or identifies the impact of
social policies and programs
Science - correct answer a set of logical, systematic, documented methods for
investigating nature and natural processes
Social Science - correct answer the use of scientific methods to investigate individuals,
societies, and social processes
Pseudoscience - correct answer claims presented so that they appear scientific, even
though they lack supporting evidence and plausibility
Qualitative Method - correct answer methods that are designed to capture social life as
participants experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher.
Rely on written/spoken words or observations that don't have a direct numerical
interpretation
Quantitative Method - correct answer methods that record variation in social life in terms
of quantities; either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in terms of magnitude
, Triangulation Method - correct answer use of multiple methods to study one question
Closed-Ended Questions - correct answer questions that provide preformatted response
choices for the respondents
Open-Ended Questions - correct answer question to which the respondent replies in
his/her own words either by writing or talking
Hypotheses - correct answer a tentative statement about empirical reality, involving a
relationship between two or more variables; you test this, not a theory
Independent Variable - correct answer a variable that is hypothesized to cause change
in another variable; it stands on its own, such as age or race
Dependent Variable - correct answer a variable that is hypothesized to vary depending
on the independent variable.
Direction of Association - correct answer a pattern in a relationship between two
variables; variables change on the variation of the other variable, can be positive or
negative
Both Variables Increasing - correct answer Positive assocation
One variable increases, one decreases - correct answer Negative Association
Both Variables decrease - correct answer Positive Association
Empirical Generalization - correct answer a statement that describes patterns found in
data
Replications - correct answer repetitions of a study using the same research methods to
answer the same research questions; same study done before
Research Circle - correct answer process of conducting research designed to test
explanations for social phenomena that involves moving from theory to data and back to
theory
Deductive Research - correct answer type of research where a hypothesis is founded
from a general premise/statement and is then tested
Inductive Research - correct answer type of research in which general conclusions are
drawn from specific data and evidence
Theory - correct answer a logically interrelated set of propositions about empirical reality
Selective Observation - correct answer choosing to only look at things that are in line
with our preferences or beliefs
Inaccurate Observation - correct answer an observation based on faulty perceptions
Overgeneralizations - correct answer occurs when we unjustifiably conclude what is true
for SOME is true in all cases
Resistance to Change - correct answer reluctance to change our ideas in light of new
information
Reasons for Research - correct answer policy, academic, personal
Descriptive Research - correct answer research in which social phenomena are defined
and described
Exploratory Research - correct answer research that seeks to find out how people get
along in the setting under question, what meanings they give to their actions, and what
issues concern them; no explicit expectations
Explanatory Research - correct answer seeks to identify the causes and effects of social
phenomena and to predict how one phenomena will change/vary in response to change
in another phenomenon
Evaluation Research - correct answer research that describes or identifies the impact of
social policies and programs
Science - correct answer a set of logical, systematic, documented methods for
investigating nature and natural processes
Social Science - correct answer the use of scientific methods to investigate individuals,
societies, and social processes
Pseudoscience - correct answer claims presented so that they appear scientific, even
though they lack supporting evidence and plausibility
Qualitative Method - correct answer methods that are designed to capture social life as
participants experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher.
Rely on written/spoken words or observations that don't have a direct numerical
interpretation
Quantitative Method - correct answer methods that record variation in social life in terms
of quantities; either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in terms of magnitude
, Triangulation Method - correct answer use of multiple methods to study one question
Closed-Ended Questions - correct answer questions that provide preformatted response
choices for the respondents
Open-Ended Questions - correct answer question to which the respondent replies in
his/her own words either by writing or talking
Hypotheses - correct answer a tentative statement about empirical reality, involving a
relationship between two or more variables; you test this, not a theory
Independent Variable - correct answer a variable that is hypothesized to cause change
in another variable; it stands on its own, such as age or race
Dependent Variable - correct answer a variable that is hypothesized to vary depending
on the independent variable.
Direction of Association - correct answer a pattern in a relationship between two
variables; variables change on the variation of the other variable, can be positive or
negative
Both Variables Increasing - correct answer Positive assocation
One variable increases, one decreases - correct answer Negative Association
Both Variables decrease - correct answer Positive Association
Empirical Generalization - correct answer a statement that describes patterns found in
data
Replications - correct answer repetitions of a study using the same research methods to
answer the same research questions; same study done before
Research Circle - correct answer process of conducting research designed to test
explanations for social phenomena that involves moving from theory to data and back to
theory
Deductive Research - correct answer type of research where a hypothesis is founded
from a general premise/statement and is then tested
Inductive Research - correct answer type of research in which general conclusions are
drawn from specific data and evidence
Theory - correct answer a logically interrelated set of propositions about empirical reality
