SOCIOLOGY 101 QUIZ QUESTIONS
WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
Commonly used methods used by sociologists - ANSWER-Surveys
Interviews
Field Studies
Experiments
Surveys - ANSWER-a procedure for collecting information by asking members of
some population a set of questions and recording their responses.
useful for:
-Identifying the average response to a question
-Identifying how groups of respondents differ from one another
-Determining if there is a relationship between two or more attributes of interest
not good for getting qualitative data
open ended surveys are less effective
Interviews - ANSWER-surveys in which a person interviews the respondent and
records the answers
The interviewer may use an interview schedule to ensure that each question is
asked using the same wording, and in the same order
interviewers have flexibility regarding the wording and order of questions
used less frequently than surveys; smaller sample size
Field Studies - ANSWER-aka observational research; entails making systematic
observations about behavior as it occurs naturally in an everyday setting
how data is gathered:
-Watch carefully and take notes from memory at a later time
-Make notes or take audio recordings while observing
-Make audio or video recordings and analyze the tapes later
-Make use of materials left behind after the subjects have left
researchers' physical presence influences data
Experiments - ANSWER-the most controlled of all the research methodologies
available to social psychologists. They are useful for establishing causal
relationships between variables
Two required characteristics of experiments:
-Manipulation of one or more independent variables
hypothesized to have a causal impact on the dependent variable
, -Random assignment of participants to each treatment (the different levels of each of
the independent variables)
Laboratory experiments - ANSWER-allow for more control of stimuli, tasks,
information, or situations faced by the participant
-also allow for the random assignment of
participants, manipulation of the IV, measurement of the DV, and control of
extraneous variables
Field experiments - ANSWER-occur when investigators manipulate variables in a
natural, nonlaboratory setting
-High external validity compared to lab settings
-Participants less conscious of their status as experimental
participants
-Difficulty manipulating IVs, little control over extraneous variables leads to lower
internal validity compared to lab settings
The Limitations of Research - ANSWER--No study is ever perfect
-Each method has strengths and weaknesses
-Methods must be well matched to the research question
-Acknowledging limitations does not invalidate or otherwise make a piece of
research useless
What steps did Devah Pager take in her study on the effects of criminal records and
race on employment outcomes to help her support a causal argument? What are
some limitations of her study? - ANSWER-she designed her experiment as an audit
study -- she controlled for extraneous variables as much as she could by ensuring
that all four groups of subjects (white w/o criminal record, black w/o criminal record,
white w/ criminal record, and black w/ criminal record) had similar resumes, applied
for the same jobs (entry-level), etc.
a limitation is that her sample size was generally small
Social Construction Theory - ANSWER-the idea that social order exists only as a
product of human activity; that social phenomena or objects of consciousness
develop in social contexts
what happens when we say that something is socially constructed? - ANSWER-we
focus on its dependence on our social selves/issues rather than any inherent quality
that it possesses in itself
what are the steps of social construction? - ANSWER-Externalization
Objectivation
Internalization
Externalization - ANSWER-We create cultural products through social interactions
methodology - ANSWER-A set of systematic procedures that guide collection and
analysis of data
WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
Commonly used methods used by sociologists - ANSWER-Surveys
Interviews
Field Studies
Experiments
Surveys - ANSWER-a procedure for collecting information by asking members of
some population a set of questions and recording their responses.
useful for:
-Identifying the average response to a question
-Identifying how groups of respondents differ from one another
-Determining if there is a relationship between two or more attributes of interest
not good for getting qualitative data
open ended surveys are less effective
Interviews - ANSWER-surveys in which a person interviews the respondent and
records the answers
The interviewer may use an interview schedule to ensure that each question is
asked using the same wording, and in the same order
interviewers have flexibility regarding the wording and order of questions
used less frequently than surveys; smaller sample size
Field Studies - ANSWER-aka observational research; entails making systematic
observations about behavior as it occurs naturally in an everyday setting
how data is gathered:
-Watch carefully and take notes from memory at a later time
-Make notes or take audio recordings while observing
-Make audio or video recordings and analyze the tapes later
-Make use of materials left behind after the subjects have left
researchers' physical presence influences data
Experiments - ANSWER-the most controlled of all the research methodologies
available to social psychologists. They are useful for establishing causal
relationships between variables
Two required characteristics of experiments:
-Manipulation of one or more independent variables
hypothesized to have a causal impact on the dependent variable
, -Random assignment of participants to each treatment (the different levels of each of
the independent variables)
Laboratory experiments - ANSWER-allow for more control of stimuli, tasks,
information, or situations faced by the participant
-also allow for the random assignment of
participants, manipulation of the IV, measurement of the DV, and control of
extraneous variables
Field experiments - ANSWER-occur when investigators manipulate variables in a
natural, nonlaboratory setting
-High external validity compared to lab settings
-Participants less conscious of their status as experimental
participants
-Difficulty manipulating IVs, little control over extraneous variables leads to lower
internal validity compared to lab settings
The Limitations of Research - ANSWER--No study is ever perfect
-Each method has strengths and weaknesses
-Methods must be well matched to the research question
-Acknowledging limitations does not invalidate or otherwise make a piece of
research useless
What steps did Devah Pager take in her study on the effects of criminal records and
race on employment outcomes to help her support a causal argument? What are
some limitations of her study? - ANSWER-she designed her experiment as an audit
study -- she controlled for extraneous variables as much as she could by ensuring
that all four groups of subjects (white w/o criminal record, black w/o criminal record,
white w/ criminal record, and black w/ criminal record) had similar resumes, applied
for the same jobs (entry-level), etc.
a limitation is that her sample size was generally small
Social Construction Theory - ANSWER-the idea that social order exists only as a
product of human activity; that social phenomena or objects of consciousness
develop in social contexts
what happens when we say that something is socially constructed? - ANSWER-we
focus on its dependence on our social selves/issues rather than any inherent quality
that it possesses in itself
what are the steps of social construction? - ANSWER-Externalization
Objectivation
Internalization
Externalization - ANSWER-We create cultural products through social interactions
methodology - ANSWER-A set of systematic procedures that guide collection and
analysis of data
