Sociology 202 Ch 2 key terms

accuracy

using a tool makes the measuring more precise.

case study

in-depth analysis of a single event

code of ethics

a set of guidelines that the American Sociological Association has established to foster ethical research and professionally responsible scholarship in sociology

content analysis

applying a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as it relates to the study at hand

correlation

when a change in one variable coincides with a change in another variable

debunking

looking beyond the obvious to expose falseness by examining merit

dependent variables

a variable changed by other variables

empirical evidence

evidence that comes from direct observations

ethnography

participating and observing thinking and behavior in a social setting

experiment

the testing of a hypothesis under controlled conditions

field research

gathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab experiment or a survey

Hawthorne effect

when study subjects behave in a certain manner due to their awareness of being observed by a researcher

hypothesis

a testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables

independent variables

variables that cause changes in dependent variables

interpretive framework

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

interview

a one-on-one conversation between the researcher and the subject

literature review

a scholarly research step that entails identifying and studying all existing studies on a topic to create a basis for new research

nonreactive research

using secondary data

operational definitions

specific explanations of abstract concepts that a researcher plans to study

participant observation

when a researcher immerses herself in a group or social setting in order to make observations from an “insider” perspective

population

a defined group serving as the subject of a study

primary data

data that are collected directly from firsthand experience

qualitative data

non-numerical

quantitative data

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed using statistics

random sample

a study’s participants being randomly selected to serve as a representation of a larger population

reliability

a measure of a study’s consistency that considers how likely results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced

samples

small manageable number of subjects that represent the population

scientific method

an established scholarly research that involves asking a question

secondary data analysis

using data collected by others and applying new interpretations

surveys

collect data from subjects who respond to a series of questions about thinking

validity

the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects the topic of study

value neutrality

a practice of remaining impartial