Soc 5 - Final Proposal FAQs

How many pages should my proposal be?


My estimate for each section is the following:

• Intro: 1-2 pages
• Lit Review: 3-4 pages
• Methods: 3-4 pages
• Feasibility Study: 2-3 pages
• Conclusion: 1 page

the total thus would be somewhere around 10 - 14 pages, not including appendices.

How should I label the different sections of the proposal?

Use the above section labels (intro, literature review, methods, feasibility study, conclusion) as opposed to "assignments 2 &5" types of labels.  the final proposal should be cohesive and read like one paper, so do try to transition smoothly between sections.  if need be, you could use sub-headings if you feel like it would help clarity to your paper.  (for example, look at how articles might use subheadings.)

Since we turned in each assignment discretely, there might be a lot of repetition if we just put them together.  Should we eliminate the repetition, leave it in, or...?

The paper should be continuous and flow smoothly from section to section.  Typically social sciences like road maps, so as Babbie puts it, "tell me what you're going to tell me, tell me, then tell me what you've told me."  To this end, there will be some repetition, but it should in general increase the clarity of the proposal and your argumentation / logic. 

What exactly goes in our feasibility study?

The first half page (or so) of the feasibility study should outline your methods for the feasibility study.  (I'm not particularly concerned that your methods are that rigorous per say - convenience samples are fine!!  The point is to get some data and start drawing some conclusions about your proposed methodology thus far.)  Then you should briefly discuss your analytic approach, then discuss the results of your analysis, or your findings (if any).  Analysis for quantitative will take the form of a bivariate table showing the relationship between two variables (possibly more if you're constructing an index.)  Qualitative analysis would be a discussion of the themes that emerged from your coding, w/ perhaps some exemplar quotes.  Lastly, you should discuss what your feasibility study suggests for your future methods.  This could be a lot of things... question wording, question order, how you administer a survey, operationalization of concepts, assumptions you may have made, etc.  You should be able to provide some substantive discussion of how your future methods could be improved.  That is, it wouldn't be particularly helpful if you simply discuss how you didn't get any meaningful results.  Try to figure out why you didn't, and what you would need to change in future data collection efforts.

What are we supposed to do w/ our actual analysis / evidence that we coded etc?

Put the following in an appendix:

• interview schedule / questionnaire
• example of raw data
• two or three filled out surveys
• three to five single-spaced pages of transcribed interview notes (should also be coded)
• coded data
• page of spreadsheet demonstrating surveys have been coded, along with codebook
• coded transcripts (same material as above) and some sort of key

The appendix should be labeled as such.  Look at Babbie for an example.

What are bivariate tables again...?

Review Babbie where he talks about bivariate analysis and relationships (look these up in the index).  Essentially you want to show a relationship between your independent and dependent variable.  You can choose two variables (based off of two questions), or you could construct an index, which would be slightly more complicated, but perhaps more revelatory of the concept under analysis.  (For example, you may have asked a series of questions about body image.  You could use just one of those questions as an indicator of body image, or you could create an index that combines that series of questions into a single score, which would then serve as one of your variables.)  If you decide to construct an index, you may wish to discuss this a bit in your feasibility study, especially if it differs from what you presented in your methods section.

You don't have to use IV and DVs in your bivariate table construction - as per Babbie's bivariate relationships examples early on, you could show how two measures are related to each other.  I would prefer that you try to identify a causal relationship (ie, in theory the independent variable should cause the dependent variable), but in either case, be clear about what the relationship between the two variables is supposed to be.



What is everything that we're supposed to turn in?


A checklist of sorts:

• cover page / letter perhaps providing a little bit of narrative about your personal research proposal process, what you feel like you've learned (or come to appreciate), and what your goals have been for your submitted paper.  (i.e. how would you be evaluated in terms of your own goals for the final project?)  comments are opt-in only.  (that is, by default i won't provide comments on your final proposals unless you specifically ask and make a case for why you want them.  don't just ask because you think you should.)
• cohesive research proposal, 12 pt font, pages numbered, double spaced, works cited. appendix.
• page outlining peer edits (ie the comments you GAVE to people)
• drafts / peer edits (including those that i gave you.)

When and where do I turn the proposal in??

Friday, May 6th, my box, 410 Barrows, no later than 3:45 pm.  (the office closes at 4.)

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!  (remember... learning experience!  fun!)

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.

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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.