ZImbardo Prison Experiment

1. Why did the prison experiment stop?

a. prisoners waned to quit
b. guards thought it was inhumane
c. a Berkeley professor told Zimbardo to stop it
d. Zimbardo felt the guards were out of control


2. When is it okay/acceptable to harm volunteers in a experiment? Choose the best answer.

a. never
b. sometimes
c. if the results benefit the world, way more then the harm.
d. all of the above






1. answer is C, all other possibilities are false.
2. answer is C, it could be B, but this answer is to vague.

Chapter 3 Question

True or False: is it the researcher's responsibility to make it clear if a research project is confidential or anonymous to the respondent?

Answer: TRUE. Also, researchers should never use the term anonymous to mean confidential (Babbie 65)

Chapter 3 Question

What are the 4 main constraints on research projects for social research?

answer: scientific, administrative, ethical, and political.

Chapter 3

The Exxon Valdez case that Babbie talked about in Chapter 3 conflicted with ethical issues because:
a. The Exxon employees were forced to participate in an experiment which would help the company find a way to increase profit
b. Participants of a household survey were going to be cross-examined in regards to what they answered on the confidential survey
c. University students were forced to participate in a mock prison experiment in which participants were harmed physically and mentally
d. Interviews of the Valdez family were published despite the fact that they were promised confidentiality











Answer: B. Details about this case are on page 65 under the title of Confidentiality.

Chapter 3

What was controversially unethical about Humphreys' research?
A) Invasion of privacy in the name of science
B) Disclosing their tearoom activities
C) Pretending to be a voyeur-participant
D) Both A and B
E) Both A and C


















ANSWER: E
A) Correct but C is also correct.
B) Incorrect. This did not happen, he was being careful as to not harm his subjects.
C) Correct but A is also correct. This was considered unethical because of the deceit involved.
D) Incorrect. See above.
E) Correct. See above.

Babbie, Ch. 3 Question

Which of these is NOT an ethical issue in social research, according to Babbie?


a) The issue of harm towards participants

b) The issue of whether ethics and politics hinge on an ideological view

c) The issue of analysis and reporting

d) The issue of anonymity and confidentiality



















Answer: b)

Babbie writes that both ethics and politics necessarily hinge on ideological points of view — that what is considered acceptable from one view will be considered acceptable from another point of view. (pg. 74)

Chapter 3:The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

What is the purpose of debriefing?

A) to interrogate the subjects in a study
B) to find out something personal about the subjects in the study
C) to interview the subject to learn about the participants experience in the study
D) to learn about what the liked or disliked
E) none of the above












The correct answer is C.

It is the correct answer because in a debriefing we want to know what their experience was and what it could have caused, like if the participant could have suffered damage due to the study they were exposed to. This helps the experimenter learn about what is not working and what needs to be changed. The experimenter doesn't need to learn about anything personal in regards to the participant nor what the subject likes or dislikes and they don't want to interrogate the subject. The purpose of a study and the use of participants is to make them feel safe and interrogating them is not going to help them cooperate. It cannot e none of the above because C is the correct answer.

Ethics and Stanley Milgram

Stanley Milgram's 1962 social psychological study on obedience and conformity were ethically questionable because
a) subjects were physically harmed in the study by the administered electro-shocks.
b) the results of the respondents' surveys were not kept anonymous or confidential.
c) subjects were deceived into thinking they were causing extreme physical harm to another.
d) participation in the study by the subjects was involuntary.












Answer:
a) Incorrect - in the study, no subjects were physically harmed. However, participants were deceived into thinking they were physically harming someone.
b) Incorrect - this study was an experiement and did not involve surveys.
c) Correct -The study involved a situation where the subjects were "teachers" who were to punish a "student" whenever he answered a question incorrectly by administering electro-shocks. Really, the "student" only feigned the pain and the electro-shocks were not real, but the subjects believed they were truly harming the individual.
d) Incorrect - Milgram's subjects were all voluntary and consisted of 40 men within ages 20 to 40 from the New Haven, CT area.

sources: Milgram Experiment video (http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/5512184), Babbie Ch 3 pg 73-74

Quiz question for chapter 3

IRB were established to address which one of the following ethical principles?

A. voluntary participation

B. anonymity

C. confidentiality

D. no harm to participants

D. No harm to participants.

Chapter 11: ways to avoid misclassifying errors

What are some ways of avoiding misclassifying errors when doing analytic induction?










1)Select random cases from each category if possible.
2)Give three examples for each claim you make
3)Have others review your analytic interpretations
4) Report inconsistencies. Few social patterns are completely consistent.

Unobtrusive Research (Chapter 11)

Of the four options below, which are three examples of unobtrusive research?

a) Investigating written documents
b) Looking at statistical numbers available on webpages
c) Going to field to observe kids play soccer
d) Studying historical records (e.g., patterns that occur in different epochs)









Answer: a, b, and d, for there's direct interference in letter c.

Ch. 11 Reading Question

What is the difference between manifest content and latent content?

Answer: Manifest content is the visible, surface, concrete content. It is easily coded. For example, one might determine how erotic a novel is by counting the number of times the word "love" is featured in the novel. Latent content is the underlying meaning of the communications. Latent content is difficult to code and less reliable-- what may seem erotic to you may be prudish to others.

Babbie, Ch. 11 Question

According to Babbie, the advantages of content analysis include all of the following EXCEPT:

a) It is an inexpensive method of research

b) It allows for the study of processes occurring over a long period of time

c) Errors found in the study are easily fixed

d) Problems of validity are unlikely


















Answer: d

Problems of validity are in fact likely to occur in content analysis.

Critical Language Scholarship Deadline Approaching! NOV 15

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2011 Spring Internship -- Consumer Financial Protection w/ the gov

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Implementation Team

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Domestic Finance is currently working to execute the
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act by implementing plans to “stand up” the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB Implementation Team is now seeking
several undergraduate and graduate volunteer interns for the Spring 2011 semester.

Description:
This is an exciting and unique opportunity to participate in the ground-up construction of a brand
new federal regulatory agency. Candidates should be comfortable managing multiple complex
tasks in a fast-paced environment. Past intern projects have included: summarizing, researching,
and analyzing consumer protection legislation; conducting legislative and regulatory research;
researching pressing issues in the field of consumer finance, such as mortgage and credit card
disclosure policies; drafting talking points and memos; as well as providing administrative
support to our growing policy team.

Qualifications:
Prior knowledge of consumer financial issues and/or law is helpful, but not mandatory.
Candidates must be enrolled in a degree-granting academic program, have excellent analytical
and writing skills, and must be comfortable using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Candidates able to make a full-time commitment are preferred.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to
consumerintern@do.treas.gov by Monday, November 15, 2010.

The U.S. Treasury Department is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Quiz Question (Cracks in the Pavement)

Which of the following is NOT an aspect of one's position in the status hierarchy of a mom/pop store?

a) time spent in the store

b) degree of closeness to the store owner

c) personal resources

d) generosity in aiding others

e) physical proximity to the store

e) physical proximity to the store

Though physical proximity to a store influences how often you may frequent it, it does not play a role in your position in the status hierarchy. The other four aspects are listed and explained on page 139 of the chapter, or page 260 of the reader.

Quiz Question: Inter-/Intra-group(ethnic) Relations in "Cracks in the Pavement"

Which of the following are true?
a) Mom and pop stores increased conflict within groups (ethnicities).
b) Mom and pop stores decreased conflict within groups.
c) Mom and pop stores increased conflict between groups.
d) Mom and pop stores decreased conflict between groups.
e) Mom and pop stores increased integration between groups.

Mom and Pop Store Legitimacy Sanchez-Jankowski

From what two sources does Sanchez-Jankowski argue that mom and pop stores attain legitimacy in their neighborhoods? What are four important types of constituent groups that used these stores?














(1) Supplying provisions and owner's willingness to allow space for social interaction Sanchez-Jankowski argues that the substance, strength, and quantity of these interactions were very important to the resident's everyday lives.

(2) Those of ethnicity, economic status, gender and age, none of which can be understood in isolation.

Quiz Question: Uses of Gossip from Cracks in the pavement

All of the following EXCEPT one are uses of gossip by women at local mom-and-pop shops, according to Martin Sanchez-Janowski.

A) Power enhancement

B) Exaggeration of information

C) Symbol of friendship

D) Establishment of social norms

Correct Answer: D: the actual fourth use of gossip among women in mom and pop stores was called pseudosecretive, this means that the women indicated that the information they were about to digress was not meant for the public, but they were going to tell it any way, this could be indicated with word or by common hand gestures indicating secrecy. The discussion of social norms was one of the common topics of gossip among the women, and it was used to discuss when other members of the community violated social norms in an unacceptable way, the example Sanchez-Janowski gave of this sort of gossip was a group of women talking about the burning of a child that indicated possible abuse.

Cracks in the Pavement - True/False Question

Which of the following is FALSE?

-


a) The number of establishments in a neighborhood is a good indicator of a neighborhood's health.
b) In an enterprise establishment, the store owner scolds people for loitering and tells people to leave the establishment if they are not going to buy anything. 
c) When mom and pop stores close, this does not necessarily lead to social disorganization.
d) All of the above are true.
e) All of the above are false.










ANSWERS

a) FALSE. "Whether or not a neighborhood is structured and healthy depends on the functional quality, not quantity, of its establishment's institutional contents" (265).
b) True. "In building an enterprise type of establishment, the owner's first strategy was to limit, and ultimately remove, goup relations and social exchanges in the store" (264).
c) True. "The disappearance of mom and pop stores does not produce social disorganization; it merely initiates a reconfiguration of the social structure and order" (265),
d) There is a false answer.
e) There are two true answers.

In "Cracks in the Pavement," a mom-and-pop store is not automatically a neighborhood institution. There are certain aspects that the acheivement of neighborhood institutional status is based on in order for it to become fully integrated into the subculture of the neighborhood. Which of the following, according to the author is not characteristic of a neighborhood institution?

a. The store should sell food products that integrate into the social taste of the neighborhood

b. The store should hinder individual identity

c. The store should create social interactions that establish a status system

d. The store has to reinforce ethnic and class groups'

Asnwer: B.

The achievement of neighborhood institutional status is based on the history of the store ownership, the reinforcement of ethnic and social groups' social taste in food products, and social interactions that nurture individual identity and establish a status system.

"Cracks in the Pavement" Memo

How does a mom-pop shop achieve neighborhood institutional status and why does it play a pivotal role in the neighborhoods in the study?

According to the article a mom-pop shop achieves institutional status and integrates itself into the subculture of the neighborhood by meeting certain criteria. There are three things that must be present, the history of the store ownership, the reinforcement of ethnic groups’ taste in food products, and social interaction that facilitate the creation of a status system. The mom-pop shops are pivotal to the community because they support ethnic cultures and facilitate networking for the lower class social class of these ethnic groups.

"Cracks in the Pavement" question & memo

In "Cracks in the Pavement" increases in prices at neighborhood institutions (mom & pop grocery stores) were do to _________________.

a. thefts
b. government taxes
c. store merchants wanting more profit
d. continuous bankruptcies











Answer: a) page 269 in the reader, a graph is provided to demonstrate the increase in average prices that follow after robberies at the stores studied in an average 12-month period.

memo:

Related to the increase in prices, customer credit was eliminated because of increased robberies, higher insurance payments, diminished business due to customer apprehension. (page 269)

The article studied the changes in the mom-and-pop stores in 5 different neighborhoods and their implications in the structure of their neighborhoods. They provided social and material support for their community. Provided meeting areas, helped incorporate new people into the existing social structure, order and helped reinforce the divisions of the neighborhoods. Loss of these institutions for various reasons created a strain on the neigborhoods. Sanchez-Jankowski argued it was a short-term strain, not somethin that promoted an ultimate decay.

Martin Sanchez-Jankowski: Quiz Question

What name was given to the type of mom-and-pop store acquired by someone who saw an emerging business opportunity from the neighborhood's changing population dynamics?

A. imperialist
B. holdout
C. trailblazer
D. indigenous
E. colonial












ANSWER: C. trailblazer

An "imperialist" establishment was one where "the store's owner, who is neither a resident nor an ethnic compatriot and has no socioeconomic connection to the neighborhood, views it as a means to make a decent living and accumulate capital and equity for socioeconomic mobility."

A "holdout" type was one where "the owner had bought and run the store back when ethnic groups that now no longer live in the neighborhood were the residents."

A "trailblazer" is the one mentioned above. It is the type of mom-and-pop store acquired by someone who saw an emerging business opportunity from the neighborhood's changing population dynamics.

An "indigenous" was one where "the store owner currently lived in the neighborhood or had lived there in the past and was a member of one of the dominant ethnic groups.

"Colonial" was made up and is not a type of mom-and-pop store.

When forming a question/survey

When forming a question or survey you should...

Make sure the question is short and precise. This allows the reader to understand the question and answer quickly.
Avoid negative items such as the words "impossible", "not" or "didn't"
Avoid charged terms like "welfare" 

Don't survey with threatening questions
Make sure the survey is spread out and uncluttered
Don't put more than one question on a line

Chapter 9 Survey Research

What's one efficient way of making surveys immediately appealing to respondents?

a) starting with quick-to respond questions
b) fucusing on the subject matter as soon as possible
c) starting with quick-to respond questions and being polite
d) offering some type of reward at the end of the survery
e) both b and d










Answer c) is the more appropriate one, for first impression always matters.

Chapter 10: Research Tradition

William Foote Whyte’s ethnography of Cornerville, is one of the earliest illustrations of which research tradition?

a) Ethnomethodology

b) Grounded theory

c) Case studies

d) Naturalism

e) Institutional ethnography

Answer: D

Naturalism approaches field research assuming that social realities exist which can be observed and reported accurately. William Foote Whyte decided to become an insider during his study to actually get all the information about the social life on the streets that he wanted and to get the most out of it. His reports on the people were made through the experience of being one of the people in the community not an outsider.

Babbie, Ch 10 Study Question

Which of these, according to Babbie, is NOT a guideline for research using grounded theory

a) Think comparatively

b) Maintain an attitude of skepticism

c) Stick to a singular viewpoint

d) Follow the research procedures

e) Periodically step back

Answer: c)

Babbie suggests that a researcher using grounded theory should not only collect multiple points of view of participants in the study, but that different observational techniques may provide a variety of viewpoints that may be useful to a researcher.

Babbie Ch. 10- Qualitative Field Research Paradigms

which of the following definitions of different qualitative research paradigms is FALSE?

a. naturalism is the approach to field research based on the assumption that an objective social reality exists and can be observed and reported accurately

b. grounded theory is a deductive approach to the study of social life that attempts to use a theory to make comparable observations

c. ethnomethodology is the method of studying social life that involves intentionally breaking agreements that are usually unspoken as a way of revealing their existence

d. participatory action research is the approach to social research where the people being studied are given control over the purpose and procedures of the research

e. all of the above are correct definitions of different field research paradigms












b. CORRECT. the definition provided above is the definition of hypothesis testing; grounded theory is an inductive approach to the study of social life that compares unfolding observations in attempt to generate a theory;

Babbie Chapter Ten Extended Case Method

True or False:

The extended case method is used to strengthen existing theories.


Answer: False

"Extended case method has the purpose of discovering flaws in, and then modifying existing social theories." (Babbie 298)

This is different from grounded theory, where theorists seek to enter the study without preconceived notions and "generate theory from the constant comparing of unfolding observations." (Babbie 296)

Extended case study seeks to "lay out as coherently as possible what we expect to find before entry." (Babbie 298)

Babbie Chp. 10: Strengths and Weaknesses of Qualitative Field Research Quiz Question

Which of the following statements about qualitative field research is false?

A) An advantage of field research is the depth of understanding it can provide.
B) An advantage of field research is its inexpensiveness.
C) An advantage of field research is its flexibility.
D) Field research measurements generally have more validity.
E) Field research measurements generally have more reliability.




















A) True! Other research methods are often seen as "superficial," but field research escapes this fault.
B) True! Other research methods often require costly equipment or expensive personnel, but field research cna be done by one researcher with pen and paper.
C) True! You can modify a field research design at any time. You're also always prepared to engage in field research which does not always occur with surveys or experiments.
D) True! There is more validity with field research because you are actually there at the scene where the subject of the matter is taking place.
E) False! (correct answer) Field research measurements generally have less reliability, because others would not necessarily make the same observations as you.

Internal Validity Resource

Here's a link to an internal validity tutorial:
Nine threats to internal validity are described, followed by an example and a contrasting nonexample as applied to the hypothetical experiment. An explanation is included of why the example represents a threat to internal validity and why the nonexample is not a threat.
Then there's a quiz where you can test yourself.

Who Are the Europeans- Fligstein quiz question

According to Diez Medrano and Gutierrez what are NOT the mechanisms by which individuals are able to hold seemingly contradictory identities

A. In smaller groups, individuals will likely feel more control than in larger groups

B. In smaller groups, smaller groups are more desirable and therefore more common.

C. Larger groups, under the right conditions, will be able to provide positive identities for individuals.

D. Larger group’s identity comes into play under circumstances where it can prove useful

E. All of the above are true

The correct answer is B. This is a made up statement. All the others explain how it is that people can hold up different identities and therefore be used to explain hoe Europeans can handle so may different identities at once. Pg 173 of reader.

Chapter 8: Experiments

When assigning subjects to both experimental and control groups, what's the suggested percentage distribution for mentioned groups?

a) 20%
b) 30%
c) 40%
d) 50%
e) 60%










The answer is d) 50%, so both groups may have the same amount of representative subjects.

Masculinity Quiz

Which of the following statements is not a reason men are more responsive to gender identity threats than women?
A)Masculinity is more valued than femininity in most social contexts.
B)The hegemonic masculine ideal can never actually be completely achieved.
C)Lower testosterone levels lead to an overcompensation.
D)Increasing one's masculinity necessarily diminishes the masculinity of others.



















Answer: C. Men with higher testosterone levels are more sensitive to masculinity threats than those with lower testosterone levels.

Willer's Test of Masculine Overcompensation

1. According to the results of Willer's study on masculine overcompensation, what role did high levels of masculinity play in determining whether or not men would show support for the Iraq War, dislike of homosexuality, and favored SUV's?

A. Attribute

B. Sufficient Cause

C. Variable

D. B and C

E. None of the above

Answer:

Best answer is B. Sufficient Cause

A Sufficient cause represents a condition that if it is present, gaurantees the effect in question. In this case, masculinity could be seen as a sufficient cause to their attitudes on Iraq War, homosexuality and SUV's. If a man carries the presence of (high levels) of masculinity it guarantees their positive views on the war, against homosexuality and would even favor buying an SUV.

2. If masculinity is an independent variable, would threatening that masculinity, effect the dependent variable (which is their attitude on the war) as a moderator?

T or F

Answer: T

Because masculinity itself already shows high levels of support for the war, threatening it would only increase that support.

Overcompensation Quiz Question

Which of the following was NOT one of Willer's findings to his experiment/s?

a) when masculinity is threatened, men express higher masculine attitudes

b) when masculinity is threatened, men take on higher dominance attitudes

c) perceived threats to masculinity only occur at the individual level

d) higher testosterone levels is associated with higher responsiveness to threats to masculinity

c) perceived threats to masculinity only occur at the individual level

All of Willer's findings can be found on page 35 of his study (pg. 146 in the reader). Willer's third experiment actually found that cultural trends (i.e. feminism, homosexuality, etc.) also could be considered threats to masculinity, thus demanding an overcompensation for masculine traits and attitudes.

Quiz Question: Willer - Overdoing Gender

Study 3 (results of a national survey) was able to address which issue of studies 1 and 2 (both laboratory experiments)?

A. Response rate
B. Overcompensation
C. Causality
D. Generalizability
E. Spuriousness














Answer: D. Generalizability
"The greatest weakness of laboratory experiments lies in their artificiality." -Babbie Ch. 8
Because lab settings are so controlled and unlike the real world, it is cautionary to use its findings to make generalizations about the entire population. Furthermore, Studies 1 and 2's participants were all undergraduate students of a large, Eastern private university. Study 3, on the other hand, surveyed people of differing age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, as well as whether they were California residents. This gave the study much more external validity because the research subjects were much more representative of the population.

The answer is not "response rate" because, if anything, national surveys would have greater issues of response rate than lab experiments. Those who participate in lab experiments are often individuals who choose to participate for one reason or another (e.g. money or extra credit) so therefore would respond during experimentation. Those who receive surveys, however, do not provide consent before receiving surveys so would be less likely to respond.

The answer is not "overcompensation" because that is made up and makes no sense.

The answer is not "causality" nor "spuriousness." These are strengths of lab experiments. By controlling for possible confounding variables, lab experiments are able to better establish causality.

Willer: OVERDOING GENDER

As one man establishes his masculine standing, he necessarily diminishes the standing of other men.

A) This describes hierarchy of needs
B) This describes hierarchical nature of masculinity
C) This describes hegemonic masculinity
D) None of the above















ANSWER: B
A) Incorrect. This is Maslow's theory in psychology.
B) Correct. Although the hegemonic masculinity is relative depending on the region, a society has a set of particular behaviors that are desirable in men. Thus, creates a social pressure compelling men to strive for this standard which in turn threatens other men's standing in their masculinity.
C) Incorrect. This is a standard, a set of behaviors, that is socially constructed for men.
D) Incorrect. See above.

Quiz Question: connecting Willer's article to chapter 8

By pre-sealing the envelopes containing the respondents results to the survey distributed by Willer's research assistants, the possible biases of this experiment were increased/decreased, through the method of:

A. randomization

B. matching

C. double-blind

D. placebo effect

Answers:

DECREASED BIASES through...

A. Randomization: INCORRECT randomization is a way to organize your sample in an experiment, it helps to increase the reliability of your results by getting rid of any trends or commonalities among respondents that wold sway your test results any which way.

B. Matching: INCORRECT matching is also a way of organizing your test subjects to increase the reliability and validity of your test. When a researcher uses matching they pair up their respondents by similarities in important traits such as gender or height (depending on the subject under study) and put one in the control group and one in the experimental group, this way the researchers can see if the dependent variable being tested is actually having an effect on the individual in the experimental group and not the control group.

C. Double-blind- CORRECT double blind tests are a strategy used by researchers to eliminate possible biases that might arise when the researchers know information about the results or conditions of their respondents within an experiment. By pre-sealing the result envelopes the research assistants had no way of knowing which respondents would be assigned as more feminine or more masculine and could therefore not treat them differently in any way that would change the respondents behavior.

D. placebo effect INCORRECT the placebo effect refers to an experiment where the control group is given a fake stimulus, such as a sugar pill, that can not possibly have any impact on them that is not a psychological result of believing that they are being given an active stimulus.

A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis

(i)What does the masculine overcompensation thesis assert? (ii)What measures were investigated? (iii) What role did testosterone play in masculine overcompensation?




















(i)The masculine overcompensation thesis asserts that men react to masculinity threats with extreme demonstrations of masculinity.

(ii)Iraq war support, negative views of homosexuality, and support for then president Bush

(iii)Found no evidence that testosterone mediated the masculine overcompensation effect, consistent support was found for a moderation effect.

Key Points/Applications in Willer

It's a pdf.

[UPDATE]: Gdocs' preview function is being rather uncooperative, or I'm just user failing. (Probably the latter.)
If it doesn't open here in Google, try viewing it in Microsoft Docs BETA.

And if THAT doesn't work, here's a question:

WHAT does the step-wise process detailed in this blog post represent?
a) contiguity
b) incompetence
c) statistical regression
d) contingency

Chapter 9 Quiz Question

Have you ever had asian food?

a. yes

b. no

If so, what type of food?

a. Chinese

b. Korean

c. Vietnamese

d. Thai

What type of question is this?

a. Bias

b. Matrix

c. Contingency

This type of question is a Contingency question because it offers a structure for exploring not only if they eat asian food but in more depth as to what type of asian food they eat.

Babbie Ch.9 Question

What type of question depends on the respondents answer to the first question?

For example, "Have you ever smoked marijuana?"

YES

NO

If yes: About how many times have you smoked marijuana?

Once

2 to 5 times

6 to 10 times

11 to 20 times

More than 20 times

A. Matrix

B. Contingency

Answer: Contingency

In this case, you would not want to ask how many times a person has smoked marijuana as your second question, if in their first question they stated that they had never smoked the substance before. This would be an irrelevant question for them to answer.

Babbie Ch.9 Question

True or False:

Open-ended questions allow respondents to provide his or her own answers, and is popular among survey research because they provide a greater uniformity of responses and are most easily processed than closed-ended question.

Answer: FALSE.

Open-ended questions do question respondents to provide his or her own answer, but also, they require in-depth, qualitative interviewing – unlike close-ended questions. In close ended questions, they rely on survey research because they provide a greater uniformity of respondents and are more easily processed than open-ended questions.

Chapter 9

The number of people who respond to a survey divided by the number of people that were selected to do the survey, as a percent is the __________.

A) Response Rate

B) Completion Rate

C) Return Rate

D) All of the above

E) None

CORRECT ANSWER: D

Because they all mean the same thing: the percent of those individuals who are actually participating over the total surveys sent out to a sample. For instance if we were to do a survey and we sent out the survey to a sample of 200 people but only got back 165 responses out response rate/completion rate/return rate would be 165 / 200 = 82.5%.

Babbie, Ch. 9 Question

According to Babbie, chapter 9, the construction of close-ended questions should be guided by these two structural requirements:

a) The response categories should be clear and unambiguous

b) The response categories should be exhaustive and mutually exclusive

c) The response categories should be exhaustive and unambiguous

d) Survey questions should never be close-ended

Correct answer: b)

a) While true, these two factors are not the structural guidelines Babbie talks about

c) Exhaustiveness is a structural guideline but ambiguity is not mentioned as the second guideline

d) Close-ended questions are widely used and popular because of their uniformity and the ease with which they can be processed

Chap 9 Survey Research

There are multiple types of questions. A few are provided below. Please match the example question with the best type. Some may overlap.

a. contingency question
b. open-ended question
c. closed-ended question
d. double-barreled questions


1. How satisfied are you with the school conditions and school tuition?
Very satisfied, satisfied, not satisfied.

2. What do you feel is the most important issue facing American teenagers today?

3. Do you drink coffee?
Yes, No. If yes, how many cups a day do you drink? One, 2-5, 6-10, 11-20, more then 20

4. Do you know your height?
Yes, No, I dont know








1. d) double-barreled question- A question that asks for a single answer but has multiple parts. This example is asking about the respondents satisfaction towards their school conditions and combining it with another part, their satisfaction with school tuition. These are two parts, combined into one question, forcing the respondent to answer both with one response. (Babbie p 247) This is also an example of a (c) closed ended question, but since it is double barreled, d) would be the best choice, because this is a situation researchers should avoid when creating closed-ended questions.

2. b) open-ended question - A question where the respondent is asked to provide his or her own answers. (Babbie p 246)

3. a) contingency question - A survey question intended for only some respondents, determined by their responses to some other question. (Babbie p 253) This is also (c) a close-ended question, since it provides answers constructed by the researcher for the respondent to choose from.

4. c) close-ended question - Survey quetions in which respondent is asked to select an answer from among a list provided by the researcher. (Babbie 247)

Chapter 8 quiz question

Which of the following statements is false?

A. The static group comparison is not a recommended experiment design because it uses pretest methods

B. The static group comparison is not a recommended experiment design because it is seen as less than professional

C. The classical experiment design looks at all 12 forms of internal validity

D. The classical experiment runs the risk of influencing the subjects, or effecting their answers.

E. All of the above statements are true.

Answer: A. In fact the static group method does not use pretest methods.

B. The static group comparison, along with the one group pretest posttest design and the one shot case study are all frequently used in less-than-professional experiments

C. If done correctly the classical experiment design can in fact deal with all twelve point of possible internal validity

D. One of the problems with classical experiment design is that the pretesting runs the risk of influencing the subject, so the statement is true.

Quiz Question ch. 8 Experiments

The degree of resemblance between sample groups in an experiment achieved by probability sampling is largely a function of _______.

A. sample Size

B. randomness

C. matching

D. validity

A. CORRECT - A probability sample of less than 100 is not likely to be representative of the sampling frame we have derived from the population under study. It is important in probability sampling that the groups represent the sampling frame, and therefore it is not good choice to use probability sampling when dealing with a small amount of test subjects.

B. INCORRECT- randomness is not an immediate concern of probability sampling, the main concern is that the samples represent the population under study which can be achieved through a large sample size.

C. INCORRECT- matching is a way to achieve comparability between the experimental group and the control group and is not the main function of probability sampling.

D. INCORRECT - Validity refers to the extent to which we are actually testing what we want to test in our experiment. It is of the utmost important that all studies are valid but it is not what determined whether or not probability sampling will be effective.

Quiz Question Ch. 8

In an experiment, when assigning a subject to a control or experimental group which method would be most effective in studying a large population?

A. Probability Sampling

B. Randomization

C. Matching

D. Web-Based Sampling

A. Nope. In social scientific experiments many subjects are not involved, and probability sampling is not fairly representative if there is less than 100 subjects. This means that probability sampling is seldom used in large populations.

B. THIS IS CORRECT. Randomization works with large populations because each sample (control and experimental) reflects the characteristics of the total population. This means that the two samples will reflect each other.

C. Wrong. Matching is a way to achieve comparability between the control and experimental groups . When separating the groups into sample and control through the process of matching you may not always know what variables will be relevant for the matching process.

D. Wrong, because I made up the term and it just doesn’t make sense.

An experiment where neither the subjects nor the experimenter know which is the control group or which is the experimental group is called a:

A) Natural Experiment

B) Randomized Experiment

C) Double Blind Experiment

D) Control Experiment




A) Wrong Answer: A natural experiment can occur in the course of natarul events (like a hurricane) it contains neither a predertemined control or experimental group.

B) Wrong Answer: I made up Randomized Experiment.

C) Correct!! A Double blind experiment is designed to avoid experimenter bias. To ensure that both the experimental and the control group are observed and measured as identically as possible, neither the experimenter nor the subjects know which is the control group or the experimental group.

D) Wrong Answer. I made up up the term: Control Experiment.

Quiz Question Babbie Ch. 8 Experiments-Subject Selection

Which of the following methods would NOT be chosen by a researcher to select subjects for an experiment if he or she wanted to acheive comparibility in the experiment and control groups?

A. Probability Sampling
B. Double-Blind Selection
C. Matching
D. Randomization
e. All of the above are methods that might be chosen













A. is not correct, because probability sampling is a method of subject selection. it is a general term for samples selected in accord with the probability theory, such as systematic sampling, that typically involves some sort of random selection mechanism.
B. is the CORRECT answer. double-blind selection is not a term used in regards to subject selection. a double-blind experiment, however, is a design implemented once subjects are already chosen to help guard against experimenter bias, where neither the experimenter or the subject knows which subjecs are in the control and experimental groups.
C. is not correct, because matching is a method of subject selection whereby pairs of subjects are matched on the basis of their similarities on one or more variables; one member of the pair is assigned to the control group and the other is assigned to the experimental group.
D. is not correct, because randomization is a method of subject selection. it is the technique of assigning experimental subjects to experimental and control groups randomly.
E. is not correct because double-blind selection is not a method of subject selection.

Question on Chapter 7: The Logic of Sampling – Probability sampling

Which one of the following definitions refers to PPS (a type of probability sampling)?

1. A type of sampling in which the units composing a population are assigned numbers. A set of random numbers is then generated, and the units having those numbers are included in the sample.
2. A type of sampling in which every kth unit in a list is selected for inclusion in the sample.
3. A type of sampling in which each member of population has the same chance of being selected into the sample.
4. A type of multistage cluster sample in which clusters are selected, not with equal properties but with probabilities proportionate to their sizes – as measured by the number of units to be subsampled.
5. None of the above.

Answer: D

PPS: Probability Proportionate to Size is a type of multistage cluster sample in which clusters are selected, not with equal properties but with probabilities proportionate to their sizes – as measured by the number of units to be subsampled.

EPSEM: A type of multistage cluster sample in which clusters are selected, not with equal properties but with probabilities proportionate to their sizes – as measured by the number of units to be subsampled.

Systematic sampling: A type of sampling in which every kth unit in a list is selected for inclusion in the sample.

Simple random sampling: A type of sampling in which the units composing a population are assigned numbers. A set of random numbers is then generated, and the units having those numbers are included in the sample.

Creating Effective Tables

Which one of the following accurately describes univariate tables most accurately?
a. tables that show the relationship between two variables
b. tables that show give information on one variable its association among other variables
c. tables that present among three variables or sets of related variables, such as joint distribution of three categorical variables
d. tables that show information on each variable alone rather than associations among variables
e. none of the above













a. incorrect-tables that show the relationship between two variables are examples of bivariate tables
b. incorrect-tables that show give information on one variable its association among other variables; univariate tables don't show association among variables
c. incorrect-tables that present among three variables or sets of related variables, such as joint distribution of three categorical variables are three-way tables
d. correct-tables that show information on each variable alone rather than associations among variables are univariate tables. Common types of univariate tables include those that present the distribution of a variable or composition of a sample.
e. incorrect answer-none of the above

Question on Chapter 7: The Logic of Sampling

A ___________ sampling is a nonprobability sampling method often employed in field research whereby each person interviewed may be asked to suggest additional people for interviewing, whereas, ____________ sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of prespecified characteristics, so that the total sample will have the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.

1. Reliance on variable subjects, Quota
2. Purposive, Reliance on variable subjects
3. Snowball, Quota
4. Quota, Purposive
5. Snowball, Purposive

Answer: C

Reliance on available subjects sampling: such as stopping people at a street corner or some other location, is an extremely risky sampling method.

Purposive Sampling: a type of nonprobability sampling in which the units to be observed are selected on the basis of the researcher’s judgment about which ones will be the most useful or representative.

Snowball Sampling: a nonprobability sampling method often employed in field research whereby each person interviewed may be asked to suggest additional people for interviewing

Quota Sampling: is a type of nonprobability sampling in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of prespecified characteristics, so that the total sample will have the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.

Question on Creating Effective Tables

Which one of the following definitions fits the Bivariate type of tables?

1. Tables showing information on each variable alone rather than associations among variables.
2. Tables showing the relationship between two variables.
3. Tables presenting information on associations among three variables or sets of related variables.
4. Both B and C fall under the Bivariate table type.

Answer: B

Tables showing information on each variable alone rather than associations among variables are called Univariate Tables.

Tables showing the relationship between two variables are Bivariate.

Tables presenting information on associations among three variables or sets of related variables are Three-Way Tables.

Because B and C have their own definitions they don’t fit into a single category.

Babbie Chp. 7 Nonprobability Sampling

Convenience or haphazard sampling is another name for what type of nonprobability sampling technique?
A) reliance on available subjects
B) purposive or judgmental sampling
C) snowball sampling
D) quota sampling
E) none of the above

















A) Correct! Relying on available subjects is sometimes called convenience or haphazard sampling. An example of reliance on available subjects is stopping people at a street corner.

B) Wrong! Purposive or judgmental sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling in which the units to be observed are selected on the basis of the researcher's judgment about which ones will be the most useful or representative. This would be selecting a sample on the basis of knowledge of a population.

C) Wrong! Snowball sampling is a nonprobability sampling method often employed in field research whereby each person interviewed may be asked to suggest additional people for interviewing. It is also known as a form of accidental sampling. This is used when members of a special population are difficult to locate, like homeless.

D) Wrong! Quota sampling is a type of nonprobability sampling in which units are selected into a sample on the basis of prespecified characteristics, so that the total sample will have the same distribution of characteristics assumed to exist in the population being studied.

E) Wrong! Reliance on available subjects is the correct answer!

Chapter 7 Quiz Question - Measuring Accuracy of Samples

Nancy wants to determine how accurate her sample statistic is from the parameter of the population she is studying. Which of the following should she calculate to obtain this information?

a) standard deviation
b) sampling error
c) confidence level
d) confidence interval
















 Answers:
 a) incorrect - Standard deviation is "a measure of dispersion around the mean" (414). It is not directly related to the accuracy of of a sample statistic from the parameter of a population.  However, one should note that  "standard error is the standard deviation of the sampling distribution" (Babbie 196).
b) correct - Sampling error is "the degree of error to be expected in probability sampling", which is what Nancy wants to know (196).
c) incorrect - Confidence level, a component of sampling error, is is "the estimated probability that a population parameter lies within a given confidence interval" (197). While Nancy would want to know this information, it would not tell her everything she needs to know about the accuracy of her sample statistic.
d) incorrect - Confidence interval, a component of sampling error, is "the range of values within which a population value is estimated to lie" (197). While Nancy would want to know this information, it would not tell her everything she needs to know about the accuracy of her sample statistic.

Chapter 16 Question

A difference between descriptive statistics and inferential statistics is:

A) both summarize a set of sample observations
B) both move beyond the description of specific observations to make inferences about the larger population sample
C) the former summarizes the sample observations while the latter goes beyond and infers broadly from which the sample observations were drawn.









Answer: c)

Ch. 16 Quiz question: Measures of association

The following levels of measurement uses which measure of association respectively: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio?

A. Gamma, Sigma, Lambda
B. Gamma, Lambda, Pearson's r
C. Lambda, Gamma, Perason's r
D. Lambda, Gamma, Alpha
E. Alpha, Gamma, Sigma













Answer: C
For nominal variables, the lambda measure of association is used (however, it is not limited to lambda - lambda is only one of several measure of association that can be used to analyze two nominal variables) Lambda is based on your ability to guess the values of one variable through knowing the values of another variable. Values of lambda vary from 0 to 1.

For ordinal variables, gamma is one appropriate measure of association. Like lambda, gamma is based on our ability to guess values on one variable by knowing values on another. However, gamma is based on guessing the ordinal arrangement of values. Values of gamma vary from -1 to +1, representing the direction as well as the magnitude of the association (positive or negative correlation).

For interval and ratio variables, Pearson’s product-moment correlation (r) is one appropriate measure of association. Like both gamma and lambda, r is based on guessing the value of one variable by knowing another. However, more specifically, r reflects how closely you can guess the value of one variable through your knowledge of the value of another.

Sigma and alpha are made up and irrelevant in this case. They were not in the reading.

Study tool: use of units and labeling in effective tables (Effective Tables, Jane E. Miller)

When making an effective table it is important to identify the units being measured at several steps. Rather than just identifying the unit of analysis like we have done previously when analyzing research studies, when making tables it is necessary to identify and label several different units and their specific measurement within one graph.

in a table you must identify these for all variables:

-units of measurement

-level of aggregation

-system of measurement

Than appropriate place to identify these variables/units is

1. in the title

2. row labels

3. column headings

Examples:

Title: number and type of fast food restaurants by every 100 square miles, California, 2010

Row labels: fast food restaurants (concept), Burger King, McDonald's, Taco Bell (attributes)

Column headings: area 1, area 2, area 3, area 4, total.

Here we have identified that the unit of analysis is institutions (fast food restaurants), the measure is by every 100 square miles, and that the concept of fast food restaurants that we are conceptualizing for our purposes includes, Burger King, Taco Bell, and McDonald's.

Memo - Babbie Chapter 16: Statistical Analysis

Chapter 16: Statistical Analyses

What is Descriptive Statistics (DS), and what is its objective?
- Descriptive statistics is a statistical computation describing ether the characteristics of a sample or the relationship among variables in a sample.
- Objective: DS summarizes a set of sample observations or the association between two variables into measures of proportionate reduction of error (PRE)

PRE – A logical model for assessing the strength of a relationship by asking how much knowing values on one variable would reduce our errors in guessing values in the other.

There are 3 models of PRE:

Nominal Variables – if two variables consist of nominal data (ex. Gender, religious affiliation, race) you can substitute each variable with a lambda (λ) to measure the exact value in proportion to the overall distribution.

Example: Of the group of 500 students, who attended the conference, 375 students are supporters of the Republican Party and 125 students were supporters of the Democratic Party. If you were to have guessed how many students are affiliated with the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, the exact value in proportion to the overall distribution of Democratic Students will be .25. λ = .25.

Ordinal Variables – Ordinal data (social class, religiosity, and alienation) measure a relationship between two variables, and uses the symbol gamma (γ) to guess values on one variable by knowing values on another.

Example from the book: Check for correlation. Are the variables showing a negative or positive relationship?

Let’s say you suspect that religiosity is positively related to political conservatism, and if Person A is more religious than Person B, you guess that A is also more conservative than B. In a negatively related correlation, Person A is more religious than Person B, but A is less conservative than B.

Interval / Ratio Variables – one measurement for interval/ratio variables is Pearson’s product-moment correlation (r), which is based on guessing the value of one variable by knowing another, or how closely you can guess the value of one variable through your knowledge of the value of another. For continuous interval or ratio variables, it is unlikely that you could predict the precise value of the variable.