Intro to Sociology Chap. 2

Case study

An in-depth analysis of a single event, situation, or individual .

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

Dependent variables

a variable changed by other variables

Empirical evidence

evidence that comes from direct experience, scientifically gathered data, or experimentation

Ethnography

observing a complete social setting and all that it entails

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

Interview

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

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

Qualitative data

non-numerical, descriptive data that is often subjective

Quantitative data

data collected in numerical form that can be counted and analyzed with 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

established scholarly research method involving asking a question, researching, forming a hypothesis, collecting data, and drawing conclusions

Surveys

data collection from subjects who respond to a series of questions

Validity

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

Value neutrality

a practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment during a study