SOC 311 Exam 2

What type of error occurs when some members of the population are systematically excluded?

Coverage error (when the sampling frame misses part of the population)

What is non-response error?

When selected participants do not respond, this creates potential bias.

What is measurement error?

When the survey question is unclear or misleading, causing inaccurate responses.

What is sampling error?

Random variation between the sample and the full population.

What is the difference between close-ended and open-ended survey questions?

Close ended have fixed response options; open ended let respondents answer freely.

Why should questions be mutually exclusive and exhaustive?

So that response categories do not overlap and all possible options are included.

What is a leading question?

One that suggests or favors a particular answer.

“Do you think online learning is better than in-person classes?”

What is a double barreled question?

A question that asks about two issues at once.

What is the main strength of experiments compared to other designs?

High internal validity (causal inference)

What are the three main features of experiments?

Manipulation of the independent variable

Random assignment

Experimental control of other factors

What are the types of experiments?

Lab, field (audit), population based survey, and natural.

What kind of study was Devan Pager’s Mark of a Criminal Record?

Field Experiment (audit study)

Tested job discrimination based on criminal records and race with matched pairs

What is deception in experiments?

When participants are not fully informed of the study’s purpose to reduce bias.

What is debriefing?

Informing participants of the study’s true purpose after completion.

What are the three types of interviews?

Structures, semi-structured, and unstructured.

How does a semi-structured interview differ from the others?

Having pre-determined questions ready but willing to be flexible with topics discussed

What is saturation in interviews?

The point when no new information or themes emerge from additional interviews.

What are informants vs respondents?

Informants provide insider knowledge; respondents share personal experiences.

What is snowball sampling?

Using existing participants to recruit new ones, often for hard-to-reach groups

What are focus groups, and how do they differ from interviews?

Group discussions that reveal shared ideas and social interactions; less individual depth than one on one interviews.

What did Gibson-Light (2018) study, and what methods did he use?

Studied prison labor; used participant observation and interviews to understand inmate experiences.

What is the main strength of ethnography?

Provides deep, contextual understanding of social life in natural settings.

What are weaknesses of ethnography?

Time consuming, limited generalizability, and possible researcher bias.

What is the Hawthorne effect?

When people change behavior because they know they are being observed.

What are the roles of ethnographers?

Complete participant, participant observer, observer, and covert observer.

Which role gives the fullest insider perspective but raises the most ethical concerns?

Complete participant

What is a covert observer?

Researcher secretly observes; occurs less often due to ethical issues

What is the difference between grounded theory and the extended case method?

Grounded theory builds theory from data; extended case method tests and expands existing theory using data.

What are material based methods used for?

Studying texts, media, datasets, or documents instead of people directly.

What is the difference between primary and secondary data?

Primary: collected by the researcher

Secondary: pre-existing data analyzed for new purposes

What is aggregate data vs micro data?

Aggregate: summarized data about groups or categories

Micro data: individual level records

What is the difference between quantitative content analysis and critical content analysis?

Quantitative: counts or codes patterns in text/media

Critical: interprets meaning, ideology, and power

What are the strengths of material based methods?

Cost-effective, IRB exempt, good for macro-level patterns

What is generalizability?

The extent to which results from a sample can be applied to the larger population.