Understanding Research Bias in Sociology

What is the main argument of positivists regarding bias in research?

• Researchers should embrace their biases.

• Researchers should be neutral and objective.

• Researchers should focus on their personal values.

• Researchers should avoid any form of data analysis.

According to interpretivists, why is it challenging to be completely unbiased in sociology?

• Sociology is about numbers and statistics.

• Sociology is about people, making complete objectivity difficult.

• Sociology is a natural science.

• Sociology does not involve any human interaction.

What is researcher imposition?

• The influence of the researcher's values on the research.

• The process of collecting data.

• The method of analyzing statistical data.

• The act of publishing research findings.

What is the interviewer effect?

• The effect of the interviewer's characteristics on the responses.

• The effect of the interviewee's characteristics on the questions.

• The effect of the researcher's values on the data collection.

• The effect of the research environment on the data.

What is the Hawthorne effect?

• The change in behavior due to being observed.

• The change in research methods over time.

• The change in interview questions during a study.

• The change in the researcher's values during a study.

Why is it important for researchers to be open about their biases?

• To confuse the readers.

• To allow readers to assess the validity and reliability of the findings.

• To hide the true purpose of the research.

• To ensure the research is not published.

What did researchers at the Hawthorne factory initially aim to study?

• The effect of lighting on worker productivity.

• The effect of temperature on worker productivity.

• The effect of various variables on worker productivity.

• The effect of worker satisfaction on productivity.

How can a sociologist minimize bias in their research?

• By ignoring their personal values.

• By being transparent about their biases.

• By avoiding any form of data collection.

• By only using quantitative methods.

What is one way the social characteristics of a researcher can influence research findings?

• By determining the sample size.

• By affecting the answers given by participants.

• By increasing the research budget.

• By ensuring the research is published.

What is a common approach adopted by many feminist researchers regarding bias?

• They ignore bias completely.

• They adopt an interpretivist approach and are open about biases.

• They focus solely on quantitative data.

• They avoid any form of human interaction.