I hate soc midterm 1-3

why do i need to take this test

agency

Our capacity to make our own choices and act autonomously.

anthropology

The study of societies and cultures, often non-Western

applied research

A form of research that seeks to answer a question or concrete problem in the real world or to evaluate a policy or program

attrition

The loss of sample members over time, usually to death or dropout

basic research

A form of research that seeks to answer theoretically informed questions or to resolve a fundamental intellectual puzzle about social behavior

causality

A relationship where one factor or variable is dependent on another factor or variable

cohort design

A type of longitudinal study design in which data are collected from a particular cohort at multiple time points

cross-sectional study design

A study in which data are collected at only one time point

cultural relativism

The principle whereby scholars refrain from making judgments about practices they observe and instead adopt the viewpoint of the communities being studied

descriptive research

Research that documents or describes trends, variations, and patterns of social phenomena

ecological fallacy

A mistake that researchers make by drawing conclusions about the micro level based on some macro-level analysis

economics

The study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

explanatory research

Research that documents the causes and effects of social phenomena, thus addressing questions of why

exploratory research

Research that tends to answer questions of how, with the goal of documenting precisely how particular processes and dynamics unfold

generalizable

The extent to which results or conclusions based on one population can be applied to others

history

The study of past events, presidencies, social movements, or cultural patterns

intersectionality

A theoretical tradition emphasizing that our overlapping identities and group memberships are critical to our life experiences

longitudinal study design

A study in which data are collected at multiple time points

macrosociology

The study of large-scale social systems and processes such as the political system or the economy

microsociology

The study of personal concerns and interpersonal interactions

mixed-methods approach

A general research approach that uses more than one method in a single study

panel design

A type of longitudinal study in which data are collected on the same subjects at multiple time points

political science

The study of the policies, laws, diplomacy, and processes of government institutions, political parties, and political behavior

prospective design

A study that follows individuals forward over time

psychology

The study of individual behavior, attitudes, and emotions, and their causes

qualitative data analysis

The process by which researchers draw substantive findings from qualitative data, such as text, audio, video, and photographs

quantitative data analysis

The process by which substantive findings are drawn from numerical data

qualitative methods

Research methods that collect and analyze data that enable rich description in words or images

quantitative methods

Research methods that rely on data that can be represented by and summarized into numbers

reflexivity

The process of systematically attending to the context of knowledge construction, especially to the effect of the researcher, at every step of the research process

reliability

A quality of a measure concerning how dependable it is

repeated cross-sectional study design

A type of longitudinal study in which data are collected at multiple time points but from different subjects at each time point

sampling

The process of deciding what or whom to observe when you cannot observe and analyze everything or everyone

scientific method

The systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way

social structures

The patterned social arrangements that may constrain (or facilitate) our choices and opportunities

sociological imagination

A distinctive viewpoint, originated by C Wright Mills, recognizing that our personal experiences are powerfully shaped by macrosocial and historical forces

sociology

The scientific study of the social lives of individuals, groups, and societies

subjectivity

The way research is influenced by the perspectives, values, social e periences, and viewpoint of the researcher

theory

A sequential argument consisting of a series of logically related statements put forward to illuminate some element of social life

triangulation

The use of multiple research methods to study the same general research question and determine if different types of evidence and approaches lead to consistent findings

unit of analysis

The level of social life about which we want to generalize

validity

A quality of a measure concerning how accurate it is

value free

The goal of being objective and not biased by personal ideologies

abstract

A brief description of the content of a scientific report

annotated bibliography

A list of citations with a short description of the content of the text as well as the reader’s thoughts on the text

causal hypothesis

A statement that the relationship between two concepts is the result of cause and effect

causal inference

The degree of confidence that an observation based on the test of a hypothesis is truly causal

concept

An idea that can be named, defined, and eventually measured in some way

conceptualization

The process of precisely defining ideas and turning them into variables

confound

A third variable that is linked to two concepts in a way that makes them appear to be related even when they are not

deductive approach

The translation of general theory into specific empirical analysis

dependent variable

In a causal hypothesis, the variable that is acted upon; the outcome we are seeking to understand

empiricism

The idea that the world can be subjected to observation, or the use of the senses to gather data about social phenomena

hypothesis

A testable statement of a relationship between two concepts

hypothesis of association

A statement that two variables will increase or decrease together, without an explicit specification of cause and effect

hypothesis of difference

A testable statement about group differences in some concept

independent variable

In a causal hypothesis, the concept purported to be the cause; the variable on which values of the dependent variable may depend

inductive approach

The process by which scientists draw a general understanding of some social phenomenon through specific empirical observations

literature review

A systematic reading of the body of theory and evidence to determine what has been done (and how) and what needs to be done

macro level

The broadest way of thinking about social life, focusing on the structure, composition, and processes of society

mediating variable

A variable that links the independent variable to the dependent variable

mediation

The expected relation between two concepts is channeled through a third concept that links them to each other

meso level

The middle ground way of thinking about social life, focusing on the physical settings and organizations that link individuals to the larger society

micro level

The most intimate way of thinking about social life, focusing on face-to-face interaction and small-group processes

moderation

The strength of the association between two variables is made weaker or stronger by a third variable

null hypothesis

A hypothesis that no relationship between concepts exists or no difference in the dependent variable between groups exists

operationalization

The process of linking the conceptualized variables to a set of procedures for measuring them

paradigm

A broad set of taken-for-granted and often unacknowledged assumptions about how social reality is to be defined

positivism

The paradigm holding that all knowledge can be confirmed or refuted through empirical observation

postmodernism

A paradigm characterized by significant skepticism of claims about general truths, facts, or principles

scientific method

The systematic process of asking and answering questions in a rigorous and unbiased way

spuriousness

When an apparent relation between two concepts is actually the result of some third concept (confound) influencing both of them

theory

A sequential argument consisting of a series of logically related statements put forward to illuminate some element of social life

variables

Representations that capture the different dimensions, categories, or levels of a concept

anonymity

When no identifying information can be linked to respondents and even the researcher cannot identify them

beneficence

The principle that refers to the responsibility to do good and to protect subjects from harm in a research study

certificate of confidentiality

A certificate issued by the National Institutes of Health that allows researchers to protect participants from future requests for data disclosure

confidentiality

When participants’ identifying information is only accessible to the research team

conflict of interest

If researchers’ interests or loyalties compromise the way they design, conduct, or report their research

data swapping

A statistical technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data on households that have been matched on a set of key variables are swapped across blocks

debriefing

The process of interviewing participants after the study and then informing them of the actual purpose of the experiment

deductive disclosure

The use of unique combinations of variables to identify specific individuals in data sets

demand characteristics

The process whereby research subjects, when they become aware of a study’s hypothesis, behave in a way that confirms that hypothesis

differential privacy

A method of protecting data that adds enough statistical noise to a published table or statistic so that no individual can be recognized in the data, thus protecting the privacy of every respondent

ethics

The moral system that determines whether actions are right or wrong, good or bad

human subjects research

Any study of persons that is a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge

informed consent

The freedom to say yes or no to participating in a research study once all the possible risks and benefits have been properly explained

institutional review board (IRB)

A committee located at an institution where research is done that is responsible for reviewing all research involving human subjects, with the goal of protecting the human subjects and preventing ethical violations in the research

justice

The principle that research must be conducted in a fair manner with the potential risks and benefits distributed equally among participants

nuremberg code

A set of ethical principles for human subjects research, including the requirement of informed consent, developed in the wake of the Nuremberg Trials following World War II

privacy

Control over the extent, timing, and circumstances of sharing oneself with others

research protocol

A description from the researcher of the intended methods and procedures, target population and recruitment methods, possible risks and benefits of the study, and major research questions

respect

The principle that people are to be treated as autonomous agents in research studies and that those with diminished autonomy receive protection

risk versus benefit analysis

An assessment in which the potential harms to research subjects are weighed against the potential benefits of the research

suppression

A technique for ensuring confidentiality in which data are simply not shown

vulnerable population

A group of people who cannot give informed consent, including those who are underage or have diminished mental capacity