Social Statistics
Exam Solutions
Course Introduction
Social Statistics introduces students to the fundamental concepts and techniques used for the quantitative analysis of social phenomena. The course covers topics such as data collection, descriptive and inferential statistics, hypothesis testing, correlation, regression, and the interpretation of statistical results within the context of sociology and related fields. Emphasis is placed on the practical application of statistical methods to real-world social issues, enabling students to critically evaluate research findings, design studies, and effectively communicate statistical information. No prior advanced mathematics is required, making the course accessible to students from a range of academic backgrounds.
Recommended Textbook
Making Sense of the Social World Methods of Investigation 4th Edition by Daniel F. Chambliss
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12 Chapters
707 Verified Questions
707 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: Science, Society, and Social Research
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The extent to which a researcher's sample is representative of the population that it was drawn from is called:
A) Reliability
B) Overgeneralization
C) External validity
D) Responsiveness
E) Measurement validity
Answer: C
Q2) The General Social Survey is administered to a sample of U.S. residents, but it hopes to identify features of the U.S. population as a whole. In other words, the GSS hopes for:
A) Validity
B) Reliability
C) Causal validity
D) Generalizability
E) Cross-population generalizability
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: The Process and Problems of Social Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) The results of Sherman and Berk's (1984) study of the impact of arrest on repeat calls to the police department for domestic violence supported which of the following social theories?
A) Symbolic interactionism
B) Deterrence theory
C) Labeling theory
D) Conflict theory
E) Inductive logic
Answer: B
Q2) When the independent variable decreases, so does the dependent variable. This pattern is known as a positive direction of association.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Serendipitous patterns stimulate new ideas and theoretical approaches for continuing lines of research.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Ethics in Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following are some of the ethical principles emphasized by the ASA's Code of Conduct?
A) Do no harm to subjects
B) Benefits should outweigh possible risks
C) Researchers should disclose their identity
D) All of the above
E) None of the above
Answer: D
Q2) There were no concerns about the ethical treatment of participants in Stanley Milgram's obedience studies.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The act of publication is not a necessary element in maintaining openness and honesty in ethical research.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Conceptualization and Measurement
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Sample Questions
Q1) The General Social Survey only asked currently married people about their marital happiness. Thus, in any study of marital happiness using GSS data, what must be a constant?
A) The independent variable
B) The dependent variable
C) The direction of association
D) Marital status
E) All control variables
Q2) When researchers use multiple items to measure a single concept, they hope for high levels of consistent responses on these items. If they achieve this sort of internal consistence, they have achieved:
A) Test-Retest reliability
B) Construct validity
C) Content validity
D) Inter-item reliability
E) Inter-observer reliability
Q3) Reliability is a prerequisite for measurement validity.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Sampling and Generalizability
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Sample Questions
Q1) When magazines and websites create surveys that readers or visitors to the website can choose to complete, what type of sampling method is used?
A) Simple random
B) Availability
C) Purposive
D) Quota
E) Stratified random
Q2) In purposive sampling, interviews should continue until a saturation point is reached.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is availability sampling? In what circumstances is it appropriate for social scientific research? How does availability sampling compromise generalizability? Does the proliferation of availability samples in popular research change the way that social scientific research is conducted or accepted by the general public?
Q4) Should the U.S. Census be replaced by a survey of a random sample? Evaluate the arguments for and against this change.
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Page 7
Chapter 6: Causation and Experimental Design
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Sample Questions
Q1) Experimental Designs
Group A
1. True Experiment
2. Non-Equivalent Control Group
3. Before-and-After
4. Ex Post Facto Control Group
5. Solomon Four Group
Group B
a. Randomized assignment into control and experimental groups
b. Lacks a control group
c. Contains two sets of control groups and two sets of experimental groups
d. Experimental and control groups are designated after experimental treatment
e. Lacks a posttest
f. Control group is created not by randomization, but to be as similar as possible to the experimental group
Q2) Aggregate matching is when individual cases in the treatment group are matched with similar individuals in the comparison group.
A)True
B)False
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Page 8
Chapter 7: Survey Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a closed-ended survey question, responses must be exhaustive and mutually exclusive except in:
A) Interpretive and check-all-that-apply questions
B) Check-all-that-apply and filter questions
C) Filter and contingent questions
D) Contingent and cognitive questions
E) Cognitive and interpretive questions
Q2) Which of the following is a way for researchers to contact sample units, particularly households?
A) Self-administered survey
B) E-mail survey
C) Web survey
D) Random digit dialing
E) Computer-assisted personal interview
Q3) An in-person interview can never guarantee:
A) Validity
B) Reliability
C) Anonymity
D) Confidentiality
E) Both a and b
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Chapter 8: Elementary Quantitative Data Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the following distribution of the variable semesters completed, which is median: 4, 3, 1, 0, 3, 3, 4, 0, 3, 2, 4?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 4
Q2) Standard deviation is defined as the square root of the variance.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Nominal variables should be displayed on:
A) Bar charts
B) Histograms
C) Frequency polygons
D) Both a and b
E) All of the above
Q4) Chi square is an inferential statistic.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, Listening
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Sample Questions
Q1) Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street (1999) is an example of what type of qualitative analysis?
A) Qualitative comparative analysis
B) Narrative analysis
C) Content analysis
D) Ethnomethodology
E) Ethnography
Q2) Which role makes it difficult for researchers to get information because they cannot ask questions that will around suspicion about themselves:
A) Complete observer
B) Participant observer
C) Covert participant
D) Intensive interview
E) Focus group leader
Q3) Tape recorders alter the willingness of key informants to be truthful so much that they are rarely used in intensive interviewing.
A)True
B)False
Q4) How is netnography similar to a traditional ethnography? How is it different?
Page 11
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Chapter 10: Qualitative Data Analysis
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Sample Questions
Q1) When a researcher understands and recognizes his or her own bias and perceptions, the researcher is engaging in:
A) Documentation
B) Examining relationships between concepts
C) Reflexivity
D) Authentication
E) Reporting
Q2) How is oral history similar to and different from narrative analysis?
Q3) How does a qualitative researcher examine how his or her role in the research may alter findings and interpretations? Also explain how a qualitative researcher reports on his or her role.
Q4) When a researcher is conducting interviews and enhances them by using systematic measuring techniques, the researcher is:
A) Combining qualitative methods
B) Combining qualitative and quantitative methods
C) Employing quantitative analyses only
D) Masking quantitative analysis as qualitative
E) Being a good researcher
Q5) What is a case study? Why is it used?
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Chapter 11: Unobtrusive Measures
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Sample Questions
Q1) The more complex the social problem, the more value that qualitative methods can add to the evaluation process.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Evaluation research began and developed in which time period?
A) 1910s-1920s
B) 1930s-1940s
C) 1950s-1960s
D) 1970s-1980s
E) 1990s-2000s
Q3) Stakeholders objectively define needs in a needs assessment.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What are the limitations of evaluation research when compared to other forms of social scientific research?
Q5) Quasi-experimental designs are the preferred method for proving that a program created (or caused) a desired effect.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 12: Evaluation Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a research report, in which section do you present pertinent data displays?
A) The introductory statement
B) The findings section
C) The discussion section
D) The conclusion section
E) The appendixes
Q2) __________ are the strongest for testing nomothetic causal hypotheses.
A) Experimental designs
B) Interview designs
C) Web-based designs
D) Non-experimental designs
E) None of the above
Q3) When critiquing the methods of published research, which two elements are most important to assess?
A) Independent and dependent variables
B) Measurement approach and sampling strategy
C) Date of publication and length of article
D) Model tested and variables used
E) Hypothesis and Conclusion
Q4) Outline the sections of a research report. Explain the purpose of each section.
Page 14
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