Soc 111 Chapter 2

Front 1

concept

Back 1

any abstract characteristic or attribute that can be potentially measured.

Front 2

content analysis

Back 2

the analysis of meanings in cultural artifacts such as books, songs, and other forms of cultural communication.

Front 3

controlled experiment

Back 3

a method of collecting data that can determine whether a given factor causes something independently of others.

Front 4

correlation

Back 4

a statistical technique that analyzes patterns of association between pairs of sociological variables.

Front 5

cross-tabulation

Back 5

a table showing the relationship between two variables.

Front 6

data

Back 6

the systematic information that sociologists use to investigate research questions.

Front 7

data analysis

Back 7

the process by which sociologists organize collected data to discover what patterns and uniformities are revealed.

Front 8

deductive reasoning

Back 8

a form of reasoning in which specific hypotheses, or predictions, are derived from general principles.

Front 9

dependent variable

Back 9

the variable that is a presumed effect.

Front 10

empirical

Back 10

refers to something that is based on careful and systematic observation.

Front 11

evaluation research

Back 11

research assessing the effect of policies and programs.

Front 12

field research

Back 12

research which usually involves the participation of the researcher with the people or a group being studied.

Front 13

generalization

Back 13

a claim that a finding represents something greater than the specific observations on which the finding is based.

Front 14

hypothesis

Back 14

a statement about what one expects to find in research.

Front 15

independent variable

Back 15

a variable treated as the presumed cause of a particular result.

Front 16

indicator

Back 16

something that points to or reflects an abstract concept.

Front 17

inductive reasoning

Back 17

a logical process of building general principles from specific reasonings.

Front 18

informant

Back 18

a group member secretly in alliance with the researcher, as an aid to the researcher in studying the group.

Front 19

intervening variable

Back 19

a variable caused by the independent variable and which in turn causes the dependent variable.

Front 20

market research

Back 20

a type of evaluation research, the purpose of which is to evaluate the sales potential of some product or service

Front 21

mean

Back 21

the sum of a set of values divided by the number of cases from which the values are obtained; an average.

Front 22

median

Back 22

the midpoint in a series of values that are arranged in numerical order.

Front 23

mode

Back 23

the value that appears most frequently in a set of data

Front 24

participant observation

Back 24

a method whereby the sociologist becomes both a participant in the group being studied and a scientific observer of the group.

Front 25

percentage

Back 25

parts per hundred.

Front 26

policy research

Back 26

research intended to produce results for social policy.

Front 27

population

Back 27

a relatively large collection of people (or other unit) that a researcher studies and about which generalizations are made.

Front 28

probability

Back 28

the likelihood that a specific behavior or event will occur.

Front 29

qualitative research

Back 29

research that is somewhat less structured yet focused on a question being asked; it is more interpretive and tends to have greater depth than quantitative research.

Front 30

quantitative research

Back 30

research that uses statistical methods.

Front 31

random sample

Back 31

a sample that gives everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected.

Front 32

rate

Back 32

parts per a given number.

Front 33

reliability

Back 33

the likelihood that a particular measure would produce the same results if the measure were repeated.

Front 34

replication study

Back 34

research that is repeated exactly but on a different group of people at a different time.

Front 35

research design

Back 35

the overall logic and strategy used in a research project.

Front 36

sample

Back 36

any subset from a population that a researcher studies.

Front 37

scientific method

Back 37

the steps in a research process, including observation, hypothesis testing, analysis of data, and generalization.

Front 38

validity

Back 38

the degree to which an indicator accurately measures or reflects a concept.

Front 39

variable

Back 39

something that can have more than one value.