Sociology Ch. 3

Front 1

analysis of existing data

Back 1

type of unobtrusive research that relies on data gathered earlier by someone else for some other purpose

Front 2

content analysis

Back 2

form of unobtrusive research that studies the content of recorded messages, such as books, speeches, poems, songs, television, shows, websites, and advertisements

Front 3

dependent variable

Back 3

experimental variable that is assumed to be caused by, or to change as a result of, the independent variable

Front 4

empirical research

Back 4

research that operates from the ideological position that questions about human behavior can be answered only through controlled, systematic observations in the real world

Front 5

experiment

Back 5

research method designed to elicit some sort of behavior, typically conducted under closely controlled laboratory circumstances

Front 6

field research

Back 6

type of social research in which the researcher observes events as they actually occur

Front 7

historical analysis

Back 7

form of social research that relies on existing historical documents as a source of data

Front 8

hopothesis

Back 8

researchable prediction that specifies the relationship between two or more variables

Front 9

incorrigible proposition

Back 9

unquestioned cultural belief that cannot be proved wrong no matter what happens to dispute it

Front 10

independent variable

Back 10

experimental variable presumed to cause or influence the dependent variable

Front 11

indicator

Back 11

measurable event, characteristic, or behavior commonly thought to reflect a particular concept

Front 12

moral entrepreneurs

Back 12

groups that work to have their moral concerns translated into law

Front 13

nonparticipant observation

Back 13

form of field research in which the researcher observes people without directly interacting with them and letting them know they are being observed

Front 14

participant observation

Back 14

forms of field research in which the researcher interacts with subjects, sometimes hiding his or her identity

Front 15

probablistic

Back 15

capable of identifying only those forces that have a high likelihood but not a certainty, of influencing human action.

Front 16

qualitative research

Back 16

sociological research based on nonnumerical information (text, written words, phrases, symbols, observations) that describes people, actions, or events in social life

Front 17

quantitative research

Back 17

sociological research based on the collection of numerical data that uses precise statistical analysis

Front 18

representative

Back 18

typical of the whole popluation being studied

Front 19

sample

Back 19

subgroup chosen for a study because its characteristics approximate those of the entire population

Front 20

self-fulfilling prophecy

Back 20

assumption or prediction that in itself causes the expected event to occur, thus seeming to confirm the prophecy's accuracy

Front 21

social construction of reality

Back 21

process through which the members of a society discover, make known, reaffirm, and alter a collective version of facts, knowledge, and "truth"

Front 22

survey

Back 22

form of social research in which the researcher asks subjects a series of questions, either verbally or on paper

Front 23

theory

Back 23

set of statements or propositions that seeks to explain or predict a particular aspect of social life

Front 24

unobtrusive research

Back 24

research technique in which the researcher, without direct contact with the subjects, examines the evidence of social behavior that people create or leave behind

Front 25

variable

Back 25

any characteristic, attitude, behavior or event that can take on two or more values or attributes

Front 26

visual sociology

Back 26

method of studying society that uses photographs, video, and film either as means of gathering data or as sources of data about social life