35 Questions
What are the two basic types of questions in questionnaires?
Closed-ended and open-ended
In what type of questionnaire do respondents provide answers verbally in the presence of the researcher?
Structured interviews
What is a defining characteristic of closed-ended questions in questionnaires?
They limit respondent responses to predetermined choices
Which type of question does not provide predetermined answer choices?
Open-ended questions
What is the primary difference between postal questionnaires and researcher-administered questionnaires?
Presence of the researcher during completion
What is the main characteristic of the questions in structured interviews?
Predefined set of questions provided to all respondents
What is the researcher effect in sociological research?
When the relationship between researcher and respondent biases responses
In a sociological study, what could be a consequence of an aggressive interviewer?
Decreased willingness of respondents to participate
What distinguishes correlations from causation in sociological research?
Causation implies a direct cause and effect relationship, whereas correlations do not
What is the primary concern when conducting laboratory experiments in sociology?
Controlling all independent variables
How do field experiments in sociology differ from laboratory experiments?
Field experiments allow for uncontrolled variables, unlike laboratory experiments
Why are laboratory experiments considered unusual in sociology?
They involve controlling all variables in a closed environment
Which type of experiment is more likely to establish correlations rather than causation?
Field experiments
What distinguishes causality from correlation in sociological research?
Causality requires a causal link between variables, while correlations do not.
What is the key difference between structured interviews and postal questionnaires in research?
Postal questionnaires have fixed response options, while structured interviews allow for open-ended responses.
What type of study did Rosenthal and Jacobson conduct to manipulate the teachers' beliefs and influence students' IQ scores?
Laboratory experiment
What is a major strength of laboratory experiments compared to field experiments?
Higher level of reliability
What term is used to describe changes in people's behavior due to the awareness of being studied?
Hawthorne effect
What is one significant limitation of laboratory experiments mentioned in the text?
Introduction of uncontrolled independent variables
What does content analysis primarily involve the study of?
Texts such as television and written documents
Which researcher used content analysis to identify and analyze stereotypical roles played by female characters in soap operas?
Meehan
What is a key strength of content analysis according to the text?
'Concept mapping' underlying patterns
'Reliability may be limited' in content analysis due to what factor according to the text?
'Subjective judgements' made by researchers
'Content analysis does not tell us very much about how or why audiences receive, understand, accept or ignore themes and patterns'. What does this limitation suggest about content analysis?
'Limited generalizability'
What distinguishes quantitative content analysis from qualitative content analysis?
Use of statistical techniques vs. categorization of themes
What is the main purpose of a questionnaire?
To quantify responses on a specific topic
Which of the following is a strength of pre-coded questions in a questionnaire?
They make it easier to quantify data due to limited and known options
What is a potential limitation of questionnaires?
The researcher has no way to clarify questions with respondents
Which of the following is a strength of questionnaires?
Respondents do the time-consuming work of completing the questionnaire
What is a potential problem with unintentional biased questions in a questionnaire?
Respondents may define options differently, leading to inconsistent responses
What is a strength of structured interviews compared to questionnaires?
The researcher can clarify questions if respondents misunderstand
Which of the following is a limitation of structured interviews?
Respondents may provide biased answers due to lack of anonymity
What is a potential issue with questionnaires that can be avoided through pilot studies?
The presence of unintentional biased questions
Which of the following is a strength of questionnaires mentioned in the text?
They can result in highly reliable data due to everyone answering the same questions
What is a potential limitation of structured interviews mentioned in the text?
They involve assumptions about people's behavior
Test your knowledge on the strengths and limitations of various quantitative research methods, such as questionnaires, structured interviews, experiments, and content analysis. Explore the differences between postal and researcher-administered questionnaires in data collection.
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