Research Final

Front 1

List topics appropriate for experiments

Back 1

 Projects with limited and well-defined concepts.
 Projects that are explanatory (rather than descriptive).
 Studies of small group interaction.

Front 2

List topics appropriate for experiments

Back 2

 Projects with limited and well-defined concepts.
 Projects that are explanatory (rather than descriptive).
 Studies of small group interaction.

Front 3

Describe the three strategies for selecting subjects

Back 3

 Probability sampling
 Randomization
 Matching

Front 4

Describe the three strategies for selecting subjects

Back 4

 Probability sampling
 Randomization
 Matching

Front 5

Describe pre-experimental designs, list examples of each of these three designs, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Back 5

 One-shot case study - single group of subjects is measured on a variable following experimental stimulus.
 One-group pretest-posttest design - adds a pre-test for the group, but lacks a control group.
 Static-group comparison - includes experimental and control group, but no pre-test.

Front 6

Describe pre-experimental designs, list examples of each of these three designs, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Back 6

 One-shot case study - single group of subjects is measured on a variable following experimental stimulus.
 One-group pretest-posttest design - adds a pre-test for the group, but lacks a control group.
 Static-group comparison - includes experimental and control group, but no pre-test.

Front 7

Describe the Solomon four-group and the posttest only designs—how does it differ from the classical experimental design?

Back 7

 Groups 1 and 2 are the control and experimental group.
 Group 3 does not have the pre-test.
 Group 4 is only posttested.

 Includes Groups 3 and 4 of the Solomon design.
 With proper randomization, only these groups are needed to control problems of internal invalidity and the interaction between testing and stimulus.

Front 8

Describe the Solomon four-group and the posttest only designs—how does it differ from the classical experimental design?

Back 8

 Groups 1 and 2 are the control and experimental group.
 Group 3 does not have the pre-test.
 Group 4 is only posttested.

 Includes Groups 3 and 4 of the Solomon design.
 With proper randomization, only these groups are needed to control problems of internal invalidity and the interaction between testing and stimulus.

Front 9

Describe the logic behind the double-blind experiment.

Back 9

 An experimental design in which neither the subjects nor the experimenters know which is the experimental group and which is the control.

Front 10

Describe the logic behind the double-blind experiment.

Back 10

 An experimental design in which neither the subjects nor the experimenters know which is the experimental group and which is the control.

Front 11

Describe and give examples of natural experiments.

Back 11

 Important social scientific experiments occur outside controlled settings and in the course of normal social events.
 Raise validity issues because researcher must take things as they occur.

Front 12

Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental method.

Back 12

Strengths:
 Isolation of the experimental variable over time.
 Experiments can be replicated several times using different groups of subjects.
Weaknesses:
 Artificiality of laboratory setting.
 Social processes that occur in a lab might not occur in a more natural social setting.

Front 13

List appropriate topics for survey designs

Back 13

Descriptive
Exploratory
Explanatory

Series of questions asked and then the researcher finds associations among them (or even causality, but not with cross-sectional surveys)

Front 14

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of survey design.

Back 14

Useful in describing the characteristics of a large population.
Make large samples feasible.
Flexible - many questions can be asked on a given topic.

Can seldom deal with the context of social life.
Inflexible in some ways.
Subject to artificiality.
Weak on validity.

Front 15

Describe and give examples of natural experiments.

Back 15

 Important social scientific experiments occur outside controlled settings and in the course of normal social events.
 Raise validity issues because researcher must take things as they occur.

Front 16

Describe the three main survey types and compare and contrast them in terms of appropriateness, costs, and effectiveness.

Back 16

self administered survey

phone survey

interview survey

Front 17

Examine the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental method.

Back 17

Strengths:
 Isolation of the experimental variable over time.
 Experiments can be replicated several times using different groups of subjects.
Weaknesses:
 Artificiality of laboratory setting.
 Social processes that occur in a lab might not occur in a more natural social setting.

Front 18

State the rules for successful interviewing and examples.

Back 18

Dress in a similar manner to the people who will be interviewed.
Study and become familiar with the questionnaire.
Follow question wording exactly.
Record responses exactly.
Probe for responses when necessary

Discussion of general guidelines and procedures.
Specify how to handle difficult or confusing situations.
Conduct demonstration interviews.
Conduct “real” interviews

Front 19

List appropriate topics for survey designs

Back 19

Descriptive
Exploratory
Explanatory

Series of questions asked and then the researcher finds associations among them (or even causality, but not with cross-sectional surveys)

Front 20

State the guidelines for questionnaire construction and examples.

Back 20

One question at a time.
Use contingency questions when necessary.
Format matrix questions so they are easily answered.

Be aware of issues with ordering items.
Include instructions for the questionnaire if it’s going to be a self-administered questionnaire.
Pretest all or part of the questionnaire on a small group of respondents.

Front 21

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of survey design.

Back 21

Useful in describing the characteristics of a large population.
Make large samples feasible.
Flexible - many questions can be asked on a given topic.

Can seldom deal with the context of social life.
Inflexible in some ways.
Subject to artificiality.
Weak on validity.

Front 22

Describe secondary analysis (along with its strengths and weaknesses).

Back 22

A form of research in which the data collected and processed by one researcher are reanalyzed—often for a different purpose—by another.
This is especially appropriate in the case of survey data.
Data archives are repositories or libraries for the storage and distribution of data for secondary analysis.
Problems: validity

Front 23

Describe the three main survey types and compare and contrast them in terms of appropriateness, costs, and effectiveness.

Back 23

self administered survey

phone survey

interview survey

Front 24

State the rules for successful interviewing and examples.

Back 24

Dress in a similar manner to the people who will be interviewed.
Study and become familiar with the questionnaire.
Follow question wording exactly.
Record responses exactly.
Probe for responses when necessary

Discussion of general guidelines and procedures.
Specify how to handle difficult or confusing situations.
Conduct demonstration interviews.
Conduct “real” interviews

Front 25

State the guidelines for questionnaire construction and examples.

Back 25

One question at a time.
Use contingency questions when necessary.
Format matrix questions so they are easily answered.

Be aware of issues with ordering items.
Include instructions for the questionnaire if it’s going to be a self-administered questionnaire.
Pretest all or part of the questionnaire on a small group of respondents.

Front 26

Describe secondary analysis (along with its strengths and weaknesses).

Back 26

A form of research in which the data collected and processed by one researcher are reanalyzed—often for a different purpose—by another.
This is especially appropriate in the case of survey data.
Data archives are repositories or libraries for the storage and distribution of data for secondary analysis.
Problems: validity

Front 27

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of survey design

Back 27

Strengths of Survey Research
Useful in describing the characteristics of a large population.
Make large samples feasible.
Flexible - many questions can be asked on a given topic.


Weaknesses of Survey Research
Can seldom deal with the context of social life.
Inflexible in some ways.
Subject to artificiality.
Weak on validity.

Front 28

State the guidelines for questionnaire construction and examples

Back 28

One question at a time.
Use contingency questions when necessary.
Format matrix questions so they are easily answered.

Be aware of issues with ordering items.
Include instructions for the questionnaire if it’s going to be a self-administered questionnaire.
Pretest all or part of the questionnaire on a small group of respondents.

Front 29

Interview Surveys

Back 29

A data-collection encounter in which one person (an interviewer) asks questions of another (a respondent).
ProbeA request for elaboration.

Discussion of general guidelines and procedures.
Specify how to handle difficult or confusing situations.
Conduct demonstration interviews.
Conduct “real” interviews.

Front 30

Telephone Surveys
Advantages:
Money and time.
Control over data collection.
Disadvantages:
Surveys that are really ad campaigns.
Answering machines.

Back 30

Advantages:
Money and time.
Control over data collection.
Disadvantages:
Surveys that are really ad campaigns.
Answering machines.

Front 31

Self-administered surveys

Mail surveys

In-person self administered

Problems: response rates tend to be low

Back 31

Mail surveys

In-person self administered

Problems: response rates tend to be low

Front 32

Describe and give examples of the unobtrusive research designs.

Back 32

Content analysis - examine written documents such as newspaper articles.
Analyses of existing statistics.
Historical/comparative analysis - historical records.

Front 33

Give examples of topics particularly appropriate for field research.

Back 33

Attitudes and behaviors best understood in a natural setting.
Social processes over time.

recognize several nuances of attitude that might escape researchers using other methods.

study of those attitudes best understood within their natural setting.

study of social processes over time.

Front 34

Compare the roles that field researchers may take.

Back 34

Role: occupations, family roles

Front 35

Describe the main sampling techniques used by qualitative researchers

Back 35

An interaction between an interviewer and a respondent in which the interviewer has a general plan of inquiry but not a specific set of questions that must be asked with particular words and in a particular order.

Front 36

Describe the main types of qualitative research approaches

Back 36

Naturalism
Grounded theory
Case studies and the extended case method
Institutional ethnography
Participatory action research

Front 37

Address the strengths and weaknesses of field research.

Back 37

Strengths of Field Research
Permits a great depth of understanding.
Flexibility - research may be modified at any time.
Inexpensive
Has more validity than surveys or experiments.
Weaknesses of Field Research
Qualitative and not appropriate for statistical descriptions of populations.
Has potential problems with reliability since field research methods are often personal.

Front 38

Give examples of topics/questions appropriate for unobtrusive methods

Back 38

Content analysis - examine written documents such as newspaper articles.
Analyses of existing statistics.
Historical/comparative analysis - historical records.

Front 39

Give examples of content analysis in which the unit of analysis differs from the unit of observation

Back 39

Content Analysis
Study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites, paintings, letters, newspapers, and laws.

Who says what to whom, when, how and for what reasons?

Front 40

Illustrate the sampling techniques that researcher might use in content analysis (including the development of categories for coding).

Back 40

Probability sampling techniques

But careful in choosing the units to sample

Process of transforming raw data into a standardized form.

Front 41

Differentiate manifest content from latent content and describe

Back 41

Manifest content - The visible, surface content. How many times a particular term or word appear in a text?

Latent content - The underlying meaning of the content. As a whole, not word for word or term by term.

Front 42

Define what ethics in research means

Back 42

Ethical Issues in Social Research
Voluntary participation
No harm to participants
Anonymity and confidentiality
Ethical Issues in Social Research
Deception must be justified by compelling scientific concerns.
Researchers must be honest about their findings and research.

Front 43

Describe ethical issues involved in: voluntary participation, no harm to subjects, anonymity and confidentiality, the researcher’s identity, and analysis

Back 43

Ethical Issues in Social Research
Voluntary participation
No harm to participants
Anonymity and confidentiality
Deception must be justified by compelling scientific concerns.
Researchers must be honest about their findings and research.

Front 44

Informed Consent
Subjects in a study must base their voluntary participation on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.

Back 44

Subjects in a study must base their voluntary participation on a full understanding of the possible risks involved.

Front 45

Anonymity
The researcher cannot identify a given response with a given respondent.

Back 45

Anonymity
The researcher cannot identify a given response with a given respondent.

Front 46

Confidentiality

Back 46

Researcher can identify a given person's responses but promises not to do so publicly.

Front 47

Debriefing

Back 47

Interviews to discover any problems generated by the research experience so they can be corrected.