Question 1

A single U.S.Census is a:
A)cross-sectional study.
B)panel study.
C)time series study.
D)trend study.
E)longitudinal study.

Accepted Answer

A U.S. Census is a cross-sectional study, as it collects data at a specific point in time rather than following individuals or populations over time. It provides a snapshot of the characteristics of the population at that moment in time.

Question 2

Descriptive research answers the question "What's so?" and explanatory research answers the question "Why?"

Accepted Answer

Descriptive research focuses on describing a certain phenomenon or issue whereas explanatory research looks into the reasons and causes behind the phenomenon or issue.

Question 3

A good exploratory research study removes the need to conduct explanatory studies on the same topic.

Accepted Answer

Exploratory research is generally conducted to gain a preliminary understanding of a topic, and therefore cannot replace explanatory research, which is conducted to explain the relationships between variables. Exploratory research may inform the design of explanatory research, but cannot serve as a substitute.

Question 4

Which of the following studies uncover only net changes?
A)Cohort and trend studies
B)Trend and panel studies
C)Cohort and panel studies
D)Cohort and cross-sectional studies
E)Trend and cross-sectional studies

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following studies uncover only...

Question 5

Dr.Smith is conducting research by spending time and participating in a new Internet community in order to learn more about what they do and why they do it.Dr.Smith is conducting explanatory research.

Accepted Answer

Explanatory research is conducted to understand the relationships between variables and why they exist. Dr.Smith's research aims to understand the community's activities and motivations, which is an example of explanatory research.

Question 6

The final stage of the research process is:
A)operationalization.
B)application.
C)analysis.
D)data processing.
E)conceptualization.

Accepted Answer

The final stage of the research process is application, where findings are used to inform decisions, policies, or further research.

Question 7

Tyler finds that in burglary cases male and female jurors are equally likely to vote to acquit.Tyler should conclude that:
A)there is no relationship between burglary and gender.
B)there is no relationship between burglary and verdicts.
C)there is a relationship between gender and verdict in burglary cases.
D)there is no relationship between gender and verdict in burglary cases.
E)there is a relationship between gender and type of offense.

Accepted Answer

Tyler's finding shows that gender does not have an influence on jurors' decisions in burglary cases. Therefore, there is no relationship between gender and verdicts in burglary cases. To infer the relationship between gender and type of offense, Tyler would need to conduct further research.

Question 8

The ecological fallacy refers to drawing conclusions about individuals based solely on the observation of groups.

Accepted Answer

The ecological fallacy is a recognized problem in statistics and occurs when conclusions are drawn about the characteristics of specific individuals based solely on aggregate data about the group they belong to.

Question 9

The use of a selection of newspaper articles on racial discrimination as a unit of analysis would be an example of:
A)social artifact.
B)individuals.
C)groups.
D)organizations.
E)populations.

Accepted Answer

The use of newspaper articles as a unit of analysis falls under social artifact, as they represent a cultural or historical product of society that can provide insights into societal norms, values, and beliefs related to issues like racial discrimination.

Question 10

A cross-sectional study is a specific type of longitudinal research.

Accepted Answer

A cross-sectional study is not a type of longitudinal research. Longitudinal research involves following a group of individuals over an extended period of time, while cross-sectional studies collect data from a population at a specific point in time.

Question 11

Professor Sheckler is looking to study the career trajectories of a specific group of college students,following the same individuals through their senior year and then five years afterward.What form of research methodology would he be using?
A)Panel study
B)Cross-sectional study
C)Cohort study
D)Trend study
E)Experimental study

Accepted Answer

The answer of Professor Sheckler is looking to study the...

Question 12

Explanatory studies are designed to find answers to which of the following questions?
A)What is the educational profile of people who change careers in midlife?
B)Why are people changing careers in midlife?
C)How many people change careers in midlife?
D)Does the occupational prestige of a career tend to increase for midlife career changers?
E)All of these choices are questions that an explanatory study is designed to examine.

Accepted Answer

Explanatory studies aim to understand the reasons or causes behind a phenomenon, such as why people are changing careers in midlife.

Question 13

Ruth puzzles over a report that claims that women are more likely to vote for Democrats than men.She puzzles because her best friend,Joan,always votes Republican.Ruth is guilty of using which of the following false criteria for nomothetic causality?
A)Units of analysis
B)Majority of cases
C)Exceptional cases
D)Complete causation
E)None of the choices apply as Ruth is not using any false criteria.

Accepted Answer

Ruth is using exceptional cases as a false criteria for nomothetic causality by assuming that her friend Joan's voting behavior is representative of all women.

Question 14

A research proposal describes what you intend to accomplish and how.

Accepted Answer

A research proposal typically includes a detailed description of the research goals, methodology, and processes. It outlines what the researcher plans to do, how they will do it, and why it is important.

Question 15

Research designs are descriptive,explanatory,or exploratory-never more than one.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Research designs can be a combination of descriptive, explanatory, and exploratory elements depending on the specific research goals and questions.

Question 16

Panel attrition is comparable to experimental mortality.

Accepted Answer

Panel attrition refers to the loss of participants in a panel study over time, while experimental mortality refers to the loss of participants in an experimental study. Both types of attrition can impact the validity and generalizability of results.

Question 17

Professor Stone designs a study to examine the effect of a teenage pregnancy on the career choices of the teens.Stone interviews a sample of teenage women during their pregnancy,after the birth,and one year later.Stone is using a:
A)cross-sectional design.
B)trend study.
C)cohort study.
D)panel study.
E)cannot tell from the given information.

Accepted Answer

Professor Stone is using a panel study because they are interviewing the same group of teenage women at multiple points in time (during their pregnancy, after the birth, and one year later). This allows Stone to track changes in their career choices over time and assess the impact of the pregnancy on those choices. A cross-sectional design would involve interviewing different groups of teenage women at each time point, a trend study would look at changes in career choices over time without focusing on the specific impact of pregnancy, and a cohort study would involve following a group of women who share a common characteristic (such as age) over time.

Question 18

Researchers ignore previous work on a topic so that their research can be original.

Accepted Answer

Researchers typically conduct a thorough literature review to better understand what is already known about a topic and to identify gaps in knowledge that their research can fill. Ignoring previous work can lead to redundant or irrelevant research, and is generally not considered a best practice in the research community.

Question 19

Rose is conducting a study where she intends to follow a random selection of teenagers over a five year period.Each year she will randomly sample 500 individuals from a total of 50 high schools.What form of research is she performing?
A)Cohort study
B)Panel study
C)Trend study
D)Quasi-experimental study
E)Cross-sectional study

Accepted Answer

Rose is conducting a cohort study, which involves following a group of individuals over a period of time to observe changes or trends in behavior or outcomes.

Question 20

Operationalization is the process of clarifying what is meant by the concepts being used in a study.

Accepted Answer

Operationalization involves defining and specifying the concepts being studied, so that they can be measured or observed in a systematic way. This helps ensure that the study's findings are valid and reliable.

Quiz 4: Research Design

A single U.S.Census is a:

Descriptive research answers the question "What's so?" and explanatory research answers the question "Why?"

A good exploratory research study removes the need to conduct explanatory studies on the same topic.

Which of the following studies uncover only net changes?

Dr.Smith is conducting research by spending time and participating in a new Internet community in order to learn more about what they do and why they do it.Dr.Smith is conducting explanatory research.

The final stage of the research process is:

Tyler finds that in burglary cases male and female jurors are equally likely to vote to acquit.Tyler should conclude that:

The ecological fallacy refers to drawing conclusions about individuals based solely on the observation of groups.

The use of a selection of newspaper articles on racial discrimination as a unit of analysis would be an example of:

A cross-sectional study is a specific type of longitudinal research.

Professor Sheckler is looking to study the career trajectories of a specific group of college students,following the same individuals through their senior year and then five years afterward.What form of research methodology would he be using?

Explanatory studies are designed to find answers to which of the following questions?

Ruth puzzles over a report that claims that women are more likely to vote for Democrats than men.She puzzles because her best friend,Joan,always votes Republican.Ruth is guilty of using which of the following false criteria for nomothetic causality?

A research proposal describes what you intend to accomplish and how.

Research designs are descriptive,explanatory,or exploratory-never more than one.

Panel attrition is comparable to experimental mortality.

Professor Stone designs a study to examine the effect of a teenage pregnancy on the career choices of the teens.Stone interviews a sample of teenage women during their pregnancy,after the birth,and one year later.Stone is using a:

Researchers ignore previous work on a topic so that their research can be original.

Rose is conducting a study where she intends to follow a random selection of teenagers over a five year period.Each year she will randomly sample 500 individuals from a total of 50 high schools.What form of research is she performing?

Operationalization is the process of clarifying what is meant by the concepts being used in a study.