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Sociological Research Methods Study Guide: Key Concepts and Definitions, Exams of Sociology

This study guide provides a comprehensive overview of key concepts and definitions in sociological research methods. It covers various aspects of research design, data collection, analysis, and ethical considerations. The guide is particularly useful for students studying sociology or related fields, offering a clear and concise explanation of fundamental research methodologies.

Typology: Exams

2024/2025

Available from 02/04/2025

AmiaSmith
AmiaSmith 🇨🇦

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Sociological Research Methods study guide
data -
Facts or statistics
survey -
Research method in which people respond to questions
population -
A group of people with certain specific characteristics
sample -
A group of people who represent a larger population
representative sample -
A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole.
questionnaire -
A written set of questions to be answered by a research participant
interview -
A survey method in which a trained researcher asks questions and records the
answers.
close-ended questions -
Questions a person must answer by choosing from a limited, predetermined set of
responses.
open-ended questions -
Questions a person is to answer in his or her own words.
secondary analysis -
Using pre-collected information for data collection and research purposes.
field research -
Research that takes place in a natural (non laboratory) setting.
case study -
Intensive study of a single group, incident, or community.
participant observation -
A case study in which the researcher becomes a member of the group being
studied.
variable -
A characteristic that is subject to change
intervention -
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Sociological Research Methods study guide

data - Facts or statistics survey - Research method in which people respond to questions population - A group of people with certain specific characteristics sample - A group of people who represent a larger population representative sample - A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole. questionnaire - A written set of questions to be answered by a research participant interview - A survey method in which a trained researcher asks questions and records the answers. close-ended questions - Questions a person must answer by choosing from a limited, predetermined set of responses. open-ended questions - Questions a person is to answer in his or her own words. secondary analysis - Using pre-collected information for data collection and research purposes. field research - Research that takes place in a natural (non laboratory) setting. case study - Intensive study of a single group, incident, or community. participant observation - A case study in which the researcher becomes a member of the group being studied. variable - A characteristic that is subject to change intervention -

Intervening action taken to influence the outcome of a particular event, condition, or process. causation - The belief that events occur in predictable ways, and that one event leads to another. multiple causation - The belief that an event occurs as a result of several factors working in combination . quantitative variable - A characteristic that can be measured numerically qualitative variable - A characteristic that is defined by its presence or absence in a category intervening variable - A variable that changes the relationship between an independent and dependent variable. spurious correlation - A relationship between two variables that is actually caused by a third factor. ethics - Rules of conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable human actions scientific method - The recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypothesis. jeopardize - To put at risk Collegial - Mutually respectful Proscribed - Forbidden Confidential - Private operational definition - The concrete and specific definition of something in terms of the operations by which observations are to be categorized sociobiology -

An empirical relationship between 2 variables that 1) changes in one are associated with changes in the other or 2) particular attributes of one variable are associated with particular attributes of the other paradigm - A model or frame of reference through which to observe and understand. cohort study - A study in which some specific sub-population is studied over time. Example: study of the occupational history of the class of 1970 in which questionnaires were sent out every 5 years microtheory - A theory aimed at understanding social life at the intimate level of individuals and their interactions. Example: examining how the play behavior of girls differs from that of boys panel study - A type of longitudinal study in which data are collected from the same set of people at several points in time feminist paradigms - Paradigms that 1) view and understand society through the experiences of women and/or 2) examine the generally deprived status of women in society positivism - Auguste Comte-- philosophical system that assumes we can scientifically discover the rules governing social life. conflict paradigm - A paradigm that views human behavior as attempts to dominate others or avoid being dominated by others units of analysis - The what or whom being studied. In social science research, the most typical units of analysis are individual people. interest convergence - The thesis that majority group members will only support the interest of minorities when those actions also support the interests of the majority group induction - The logical model in which general principles are developed from specific observations. Test data -----> find theory epistemology - The science of knowing; systems of knowledge attributes - Characteristics of people or things

methodology - The science of finding out; procedures for scientific investigation agreement reality - Those things we "know" as part and parcel of the culture we share with those around us cross-sectional study - A study based on observations representing a single point in time post modernism - A paradigm that questions the assumptions of positivism and theories describing an "objective" reality nomothetic - An approach to explanation in which we seek to identify a few causal factors that generally impact a class of conditions or events. Example: 2 or 3 KEY factors that determine your choice of college specification - The process through which concepts are made more specific symbolic interactionism - A paradigm that views human behavior as the creation of meaning through social interactions, with those meanings conditioning subsequent interactions null hypothesis - hypothesis that suggests there is no relationship among the variables under study deduction - The logical model in which specific expectations of hypotheses are developed on the basis of general principles. Start with theory -----> test data idiographic - An approach to explanation in which we seek to exhaust the idiosyncratic causes of a particular condition or event. Example: ALL the reasons you chose your college reductionism - the attempt to understand a complex phenomenon in terms of a narrow set of concepts conceptualization - The mental process whereby fuzzy and imprecise notions are made more specific and precise. tolerance for ambiguity - The ability to hold conflicting ideas in your mind simultaneously without denying or dismissing any of them.