SOC 2206A - FINAL EXAM QUESTIONS & ANSWERS.
Quantitative data - > numerical data
qualitative data - > Information describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical
characteristic
Mixed Methods Data Analysis - > A balanced approach attempting to make the most of the
advantages of the methods use whilst also minimising the disadvantages of those
methods
basic research - > pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research - > scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
cross-sectional design - > research design that examines people of different ages at a
single point in time
repeated cross-sectional design - > a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected
at two or more points in time from different samples of the same population
panel design - > a longitudinal study in which data are collected from the same individuals -
the panel - at two or more points in time
longitudinal study - > research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a
long period
cohort design - > a longitudinal study in which data are collected at two or more points in
time from individuals in a cohort
prospective design - > A research design that follows subjects forward over a specified
period of time
value free - > the view that a sociologist's personal values or beliefs should not influence
social research
,descriptive research - > research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that
behavior objectively and systematically
Exploratory Research - > Research conducted to gather more information about a problem
or to make a tentative hypothesis more specific
explanatory research - > seeks to identify causes and effects of social phenomena and to
predict how one phenomenon will change or vary in response to variation in some other
phenomenon
Theory - > A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Empiricism - > the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should,
therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
macro level - > a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
meso level - > a term used to analyze the relationships among issues, individuals, and
groups as viewed from a community, or local, perspective
micro level - > focus on the individual and his or her interactions in specific settings
inductive reasoning - > A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large
number of specific observations.
deductive reasoning - > reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general
principle and then applying that principle to a specific case
paradigm - > A broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions
about how social reality is to be defined
Postivism - > a scientific approach to knowledge based on "positive" facts as opposed to
mere speculation
Post Modernism - > a late 20th Century movement in the arts, architecture, and criticism;
includes skeptical interpretations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, history, economics,
architecture, fiction, and literary criticism
, Types of sociological paradigms (4) - > Structural Functionalism , Conflict Theory, rational
choice, + symbolic interactionism
Structural Functionalism - > Society is viewed as a collection of interrelated parts that form
a whole (macro)
Conflict Theory - > a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of
groups that are competing for scarce resources
Rational Choice Theory - > A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of
voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest,
carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
Symbolic Interactionism - > a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations,
and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions
mediation - > The expected relation between two concepts is channel through a third
concept that links them to each other
moderation - > The strength of the association between two variables is made weaker or
stronger by the third variable
Spuriousness - > The independent and dependent variables are both effected by an
outside variable
confounding variable - > a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an
effect in an experiment
Hypothesis - > A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
null hypothesis - > a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong
hypothesis of difference - > a testable statement about group differences in some concept
Hypothesis of Association - > a statement that two variables will increase or decrease
together, without an explicit specification of cause and effect
Quantitative data - > numerical data
qualitative data - > Information describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical
characteristic
Mixed Methods Data Analysis - > A balanced approach attempting to make the most of the
advantages of the methods use whilst also minimising the disadvantages of those
methods
basic research - > pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base
applied research - > scientific study that aims to solve practical problems
cross-sectional design - > research design that examines people of different ages at a
single point in time
repeated cross-sectional design - > a type of longitudinal study in which data are collected
at two or more points in time from different samples of the same population
panel design - > a longitudinal study in which data are collected from the same individuals -
the panel - at two or more points in time
longitudinal study - > research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a
long period
cohort design - > a longitudinal study in which data are collected at two or more points in
time from individuals in a cohort
prospective design - > A research design that follows subjects forward over a specified
period of time
value free - > the view that a sociologist's personal values or beliefs should not influence
social research
,descriptive research - > research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that
behavior objectively and systematically
Exploratory Research - > Research conducted to gather more information about a problem
or to make a tentative hypothesis more specific
explanatory research - > seeks to identify causes and effects of social phenomena and to
predict how one phenomenon will change or vary in response to variation in some other
phenomenon
Theory - > A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data
Empiricism - > the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should,
therefore, rely on observation and experimentation
macro level - > a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
meso level - > a term used to analyze the relationships among issues, individuals, and
groups as viewed from a community, or local, perspective
micro level - > focus on the individual and his or her interactions in specific settings
inductive reasoning - > A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large
number of specific observations.
deductive reasoning - > reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general
principle and then applying that principle to a specific case
paradigm - > A broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions
about how social reality is to be defined
Postivism - > a scientific approach to knowledge based on "positive" facts as opposed to
mere speculation
Post Modernism - > a late 20th Century movement in the arts, architecture, and criticism;
includes skeptical interpretations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, history, economics,
architecture, fiction, and literary criticism
, Types of sociological paradigms (4) - > Structural Functionalism , Conflict Theory, rational
choice, + symbolic interactionism
Structural Functionalism - > Society is viewed as a collection of interrelated parts that form
a whole (macro)
Conflict Theory - > a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of
groups that are competing for scarce resources
Rational Choice Theory - > A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of
voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest,
carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
Symbolic Interactionism - > a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations,
and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions
mediation - > The expected relation between two concepts is channel through a third
concept that links them to each other
moderation - > The strength of the association between two variables is made weaker or
stronger by the third variable
Spuriousness - > The independent and dependent variables are both effected by an
outside variable
confounding variable - > a factor other than the independent variable that might produce an
effect in an experiment
Hypothesis - > A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
null hypothesis - > a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong
hypothesis of difference - > a testable statement about group differences in some concept
Hypothesis of Association - > a statement that two variables will increase or decrease
together, without an explicit specification of cause and effect
