Social Research Methods Comprehensive Exam
Latest Update
Which of the following does NOT represent a level of field notes? - ANSWER suggested
notes
The focus group example we watched in class focused on - ANSWER attitudes about the
BBC
An informant in field research - ANSWER is a member in the field site with whom the
researcher develops a relationship and who tells the researcher details about life in the
field site
If observing and collecting - ANSWER the researcher becomes the instrument of data
collection
What is the most common ethical issue in field research? - ANSWER privacy
A field site or setting is a fixed physical location - ANSWER false
The ideal size for a focus group according to Dr. Bemiller is - ANSWER 5-6 people
Which of the following is the purpose of ethnography? - ANSWER: to provide a
description of a way of life from the standpoint of the insiders
In one on one interviews, what does a probing question do? - ANSWER it encourages the
respondent to elaborate on an answer
,Presentation of self, social role, and disclosure are three major issues to consider when
entering the field.
Field researchers have methods that they adapt to the field site and their background.
Which one of those methods is listed below? - ANSWER being a serious beginner
Cultural knowledge has two parts, explicit and - ANSWER tacit
A gatekeeper - ANSWER can restrict access to a field site
Selecting individuals using a standard, unusual, or unexpected emphasis is called -
ANSWER sampling
A special qualitative research technique in which a group of people informally
interviews about a topic is a(n)- ANSWER focus group
Tacit knowledge includes- ANSWER unspoken norms of a culture
Mr. Adams is a poor notetaker. What advice might be best for him while he is actually in
the field conducting his research? ANSWER take a few jottings of notes in the field, but
immediately after he is no longer in the field, sit down and write out all of his memories in
whatever format is most comfortable to him
Mr. Marsh is "concerned" that nothing seems to be happening in his field research.
What should he do? - ANSWER be patient, the true "relevance" of what he is seeing may
not be apparent until later when reviewing the information
As a researcher learns how to fit in by learning rules, customs, etc., he does what? -
ANSWER normalizes
Structural questions - ANSWER are never used in field research
, Covariation and statistical independence are the same concept - ANSWER false
A bivariate table - ANSWER operates with variables that have 2-5 categories and data at
nominal or ordinal levels of measurement
Covariance means to vary together. What is the opposite of covariance in a bivariate
relationship? - ANSWER statistical independence
What is the median in the following set of numbers? 1, 16, 35, 14, 7 - ANSWER 14
Because standard deviation is not easy to interpret, Dr. Smith uses another standard
measure that expresses scores on a frequency distribution in terms of number of
standard deviations from the mean. What is Dr. Smith using? - ANSWER Z-score
The arithmetic average is the most widely used measure of central tendency. It is also
referred to as - ANSWER mean
This measure is the most complete measure of variability, providing an "average"
difference between all the scores and the mean. It is called what? - ANSWER standard
deviation
Statistical significance indicates - ANSWER the likelihood of detecting an association in
sample data when it does not exist in the population
When coding categories of variables it is important to keep written records of rules for
coding in a - ANSWER codebook
The bivariate statistics allow the researcher - ANSWER to account for 2 variables
simultaneously and to analyze the statistical dependencies between variables
Latest Update
Which of the following does NOT represent a level of field notes? - ANSWER suggested
notes
The focus group example we watched in class focused on - ANSWER attitudes about the
BBC
An informant in field research - ANSWER is a member in the field site with whom the
researcher develops a relationship and who tells the researcher details about life in the
field site
If observing and collecting - ANSWER the researcher becomes the instrument of data
collection
What is the most common ethical issue in field research? - ANSWER privacy
A field site or setting is a fixed physical location - ANSWER false
The ideal size for a focus group according to Dr. Bemiller is - ANSWER 5-6 people
Which of the following is the purpose of ethnography? - ANSWER: to provide a
description of a way of life from the standpoint of the insiders
In one on one interviews, what does a probing question do? - ANSWER it encourages the
respondent to elaborate on an answer
,Presentation of self, social role, and disclosure are three major issues to consider when
entering the field.
Field researchers have methods that they adapt to the field site and their background.
Which one of those methods is listed below? - ANSWER being a serious beginner
Cultural knowledge has two parts, explicit and - ANSWER tacit
A gatekeeper - ANSWER can restrict access to a field site
Selecting individuals using a standard, unusual, or unexpected emphasis is called -
ANSWER sampling
A special qualitative research technique in which a group of people informally
interviews about a topic is a(n)- ANSWER focus group
Tacit knowledge includes- ANSWER unspoken norms of a culture
Mr. Adams is a poor notetaker. What advice might be best for him while he is actually in
the field conducting his research? ANSWER take a few jottings of notes in the field, but
immediately after he is no longer in the field, sit down and write out all of his memories in
whatever format is most comfortable to him
Mr. Marsh is "concerned" that nothing seems to be happening in his field research.
What should he do? - ANSWER be patient, the true "relevance" of what he is seeing may
not be apparent until later when reviewing the information
As a researcher learns how to fit in by learning rules, customs, etc., he does what? -
ANSWER normalizes
Structural questions - ANSWER are never used in field research
, Covariation and statistical independence are the same concept - ANSWER false
A bivariate table - ANSWER operates with variables that have 2-5 categories and data at
nominal or ordinal levels of measurement
Covariance means to vary together. What is the opposite of covariance in a bivariate
relationship? - ANSWER statistical independence
What is the median in the following set of numbers? 1, 16, 35, 14, 7 - ANSWER 14
Because standard deviation is not easy to interpret, Dr. Smith uses another standard
measure that expresses scores on a frequency distribution in terms of number of
standard deviations from the mean. What is Dr. Smith using? - ANSWER Z-score
The arithmetic average is the most widely used measure of central tendency. It is also
referred to as - ANSWER mean
This measure is the most complete measure of variability, providing an "average"
difference between all the scores and the mean. It is called what? - ANSWER standard
deviation
Statistical significance indicates - ANSWER the likelihood of detecting an association in
sample data when it does not exist in the population
When coding categories of variables it is important to keep written records of rules for
coding in a - ANSWER codebook
The bivariate statistics allow the researcher - ANSWER to account for 2 variables
simultaneously and to analyze the statistical dependencies between variables
