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Exam 2: Studying Social Life: Sociological Research Methods

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Question 61

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As far back as Auguste Comte,the theorist who coined the term "sociology," it has been assumed by many sociologists that objectivity is important in studying society.Describe the assumptions surrounding the role objectivity plays in sociology.

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Question 62

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When Laud Humphreys was a sociology graduate student at Washington University in St.Louis,he wrote his dissertation on the "tearoom trade," anonymous homosexual encounters in the men's rooms of public parks.To gather data,he acted as a lookout for his subjects,but he also surreptitiously noted license-plate numbers as the men left,so he could get their names and addresses.The next year,he picked about fifty men from the "tearooms" and interviewed them in their homes,claiming to be performing a health survey.His descriptions of the interviews made it possible for many of the men (and their families) to recognize themselves when the dissertation was published.Why do many sociologists consider this research method to be unethical?

A) It used terminology that was confusing to the interview subjects.
B) It put Humphreys at risk for arrest or retaliation.
C) It harmed the reputation of the city of St. Louis.
D) It failed to protect the biographical anonymity of his subjects.

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Question 63

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Sometimes survey researchers reject randomness and instead use weighting techniques to construct a sample.How is a weighted sample different from a random one?

Sociologists who conduct interviews can only gather data from a limited number of people because:

Why do social scientists who use interviews rarely speak with large numbers of people for a project?

A recent sociological experiment sought to determine the exact role social support plays in the health of expectant mothers.To conduct the experiment,the researchers asked midwives to flip a coin each time they received a new client,and if it came up heads to try as hard as possible to put the client in contact with others who could provide social support.If the coin came up tails,the midwives would NOT discourage the woman from receiving social support but would NOT facilitate it either.What is the dependent variable in this experiment?

A recent sociological experiment sought to determine the exact role social support plays in the health of expectant mothers.To conduct the experiment,the researchers asked midwives to flip a coin each time they received a new client,and if it came up heads to try as hard as possible to put the client in contact with others who could provide social support.If the coin came up tails,the midwives would NOT discourage the woman from receiving social support but would NOT facilitate it either.Who is the control group in this experiment?

When Elton Mayo did his now-classic experiment on worker productivity,he found that he could increase productivity by changing variables in a work environment,but also that changing back variables increased productivity.What did he conclude was the true cause of the increase in productivity?

If the federal government conducts research on the value of checking batteries in home smoke detectors,what method will produce data that is easiest to transmit to many people?

What kind of question usually produces a wide variety of responses by allowing respondents to answer in whatever way seems appropriate to them?

Every four years when it is time to elect a new president,we pay much attention to surveys,which we usually call "polls." Even though there are more than 300 million people in the United States,most political pollsters ask about a thousand people who it is they plan to vote for and use that information to predict how the election will turn out.Who is the sample for a presidential poll?

How might researchers generate a representative sample from a target population?

Which of the following is an advantage of using ethnography to study social life?

What is the scientific method?

In what way does a focus group differ from one-on-one interviews?

What is the primary goal of comparative and historical research methods?

Imagine that you are trying to rewrite a survey.You find a multiple-choice question that asks,"What is your favorite recreational activity?" and gives three response options: watching television,shopping,or sports.You add a fourth response option,"other," and invite respondents to write an activity of their choice.What kind of question have you just made?

Lili is conducting a sociological research study on the underground music scene.She has just finished collecting data for the study.What is the next step Lili should take in the scientific method?

When doing experimental research,why is it important to control for everything except the independent variable?

In action research,what role does the population studied perform?