Sociology Research Methods Quiz: Part 1

Which of the following is an example of an unethical sociological research practice?

• Conducting a literature review prior to conducting an experiment

• Drawing conclusions from a study which the hypothesis did not predict

• Observing study participants without their consent

• Using a control group and an experimental group during observation

Thomas wants to better understand the trends in literacy rates in Baltimore city over the past 50 years using Baltimore city data. What type of research should Thomas conduct?

• A survey

• Field research

• An experiment

• Secondary data analysis

The term value neutrality is defined by the text as:

• A practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during the course of a study and in publishing results.

• The study of evolving ethics and morals in relation to sociological research.

• A systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand.

• A study's participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population.

What was the major ethical lapse of the Tuskegee Experiment?

• Not informing the subjects of the study that they had syphilis

• Conducting a study only on Black people

• Not treating the men who were infected

• Not adhering to a code of ethics

Which of the following is NOT an example of a sociological hypothesis?

• The more study halls students are given during the school day, the worse they perform on their tests.

• The more CDs Jamilla buys, the less money she has in her bank account.

• The longer an inmate spends in prison, the more difficult it is for him to adapt to the outside world.

• The more positive reinforcement a parent gives a child, the better they do in school.

Quincia is studying how the lack of comprehensive sex education is affecting a small, rural town in North Dakota. She spends two months in the town, observing and interviewing the townspeople. Quincia is conducting a(n) ______.

• Ethnography

• Case study

• Experiment

• Secondary data analysis

Which of the following is an example of nonreactive research?

• Gathering data from government studies

• Educating classrooms on the necessities of safe sex

• Interviewing heroin addicts and providing them with clean needles

• Volunteering at a local food bank and interacting with homeless persons

Kyle is collecting newspaper clippings from his grandfather about the American public's perception of World War II. This is an example of ______.

• Tertiary data

• Interactive data

• Primary data

• Secondary data

Which of the following is not a purpose of the American Sociological Association's code of ethics?

• To guarantee the safety of their participants

• To maintain value neutrality

• To ensure the financial gain of the researchers

• To foster professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

The term interpretive framework can be defined as:

• A basis for which sociologists determine whether their independent and dependent variables reflect the results.

• A sociological research approach that seeks in-depth understanding of a topic or subject through observation or interaction; this approach is not based on hypothesis testing.

• An established scholarly research method that involves asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and conducting a study, and drawing conclusions.

• Specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study