PSC 41 Unit 2

Survey/poll

A method of posing questions to people on the telephone, in personal interviews, on written questionnaires, or via the Internet. Also called poll.

Forced-choice question

A survey question format in which respondents give their opinion by picking the best of two or more options.

Likert scale

A survey question format using a rating scale containing multiple response options anchored by the specific terms such as "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."

Semantic differential format

A survey question format using a response scale whose numbers are anchored with contrasting adjectives

Open-ended questions

A survey question format that allows respondents to answer any way they like.

Leading questions

A type of question in a survey or poll that is problematic because it’s wording encourages one response more than others, there by weakening it’s construct validity

Double-barreled questions

A type of question in a survey or poll that is problematic because it asks two questions in one, thereby weakening it’s construct validity

Negatively worded questions

A question in a survey or poll that contains negatively phrased statements, making it’s wording complicated or confusing and potentially weakening it’s construct validity

Response set (nondifferentiation)

A shortcut respondents may use to answer items in a long survey, rather than responding to the content of each item

Acquiescence (yea-saying)

Answering “yes” or “strongly agree” to every item in a survey or interview

Fence sitting

Playing it safe by answering in the middle of the scale for every question in a survey or interview

Socially desirable responding (faking good)

Giving answers on a survey (or other self-report measure) that make one look better than one really is.

Faking bad

Giving answers on a survey (or other self-report measure) that make one look worse than one really is

Observational research

The process of watching people or animals and systematically recording how they behave or what they are doing

Observer bias

A bias that occurs when observer expectations influence the interpretation of participant behaviors or the outcome of the study

Observer effect (expectancy effect)

A change in behavior of study participants in the direction of observer expectations

Masked design (blind design)

A study design in which the observers are unaware of the experimental conditions to which participants have been assigned

Reactivity

A change in behavior of study participants (such as acting less spontaneously) because they are aware they are being watched

Unobtrusive observation

An observation in a study made indirectly, through physical traces of behavior, or made by someone who is hidden or is posing as a bystander

Participant observation

A qualitative research technique in which one or more researchers live among the population they are studying

Informant

In qualitative research, a person who is an expert in the area of interest and who works with the researcher to understand a social issue or other research question

Population

A larger group from which a sample is drawn; the group to which a study’s conclusions are intended to be applied (population of interest)

Sample

The group of people, animals, or cases used in a study; a subset of the population of interest

Census

A set of observations that contains all members of the population of interest

Biased sample (unrepresentative sample)Un

A sample in which some members of the population of interest are systematically left out and, therefore, the result cannot generalize to the population of interest

Unbiased sample (representative sample)

A sample in which all members of the population of interest are equally likely to be included (usually through some random method), and therefore the results can generalize to the population of interest

Convenience sampling

Choosing a sample based on those who are easiest to access and readily available; a biased sampling technique

Self-selection

A form of sampling bias that occurs when a sample contains only people who volunteer to participate

Probability sampling

A category name for random sampling techniques, such as simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and cluster sampling, in which a sample is drawn from a population of interest so each member has an equal and known chance of being included in the sample

Nonprobability sampling

A category name for nonrandom sampling techniques, such as convenience, purposive, and quota sampling, that result in a biased sample

Simple random sampling

The most basic form of probability sampling, in which the sample is chosen completely at random from the population of interest (ex. drawing names out of a hat)

Systematic sampling

A probability sampling technique in which the researcher uses a randomly chosen number N, and counts off every Nth member of a population to achieve a sample

Cluster sampling

A probability sampling technique in which clusters of participants within the population of interest are selected at random, followed by data collection from all individuals in each cluster

Multistage sampling

A probability sampling techniques involving at least two stages: a random sample of clusters followed by a random sample of people within the selected clusters

Stratified random sampling

A form of probability sampling; a random sampling technique in which the researcher identifies particular demographic categories, or strata, and then randomly selects individuals within each category

Oversampling

A form of probability sampling; a variation of stratified random sampling in which the researcher intentionally overrepresents one or more groups

Purposive sampling

A biased sampling techniques in which only certain kinds of people are included in a sample

Snowball sampling

A variation on purposive sampling, a biased sampling technique in which participants are asked to recommend acquaintances for the study

Quota sampling

A biased sampling techniques in which a researcher identifies subsets of the population of interest, sets a target number for each category in the sample, and nonrandomly selects individuals within each category until the quotas are filled