| concept |
any abstract characteristic or attribute that can
be potentially measured |
| content analysis |
the analysis of meanings in cultural artifacts
such as books, songs, and other forms of cultural communication |
| controlled experiment
|
a method of collecting data that can determine
whether a given factor causes something independently of other
factors |
| correlation |
a statistical technique that analyzes patterns of
association between pairs of sociological variables |
| cross tabulation |
a table showing the relationship between two
variables |
| data |
the systematic information that sociologists use
to investigate research questions |
| data analysis |
the process by which sociologists organize
collected data to discover what patterns and uniformities are
revealed |
| deductive reasoning |
a form of reasoning in which specific hypotheses,
or predictions, are derived from general principles |
| dependent variable |
the variable that is a presumed effect |
| empirical |
refers to something that is based on careful and
systematic observation |
| evaluation research |
research assessing the effect of policies and
programs |
| field research |
research which usually involves the participation
of the researcher with the people or group(s) being studied |
| generalization |
a claim that a finding represents something
greater than the specific observations on which the finding is based
|
| hypothesis |
a statement about what one expects to find in
research |
| independent variable
|
a variable treated as the presumed cause of a
particular result |
| indicator |
something that points to or reflects an abstract
concept |
| inductive reasoning |
a logical process of building general principles
from specific observations |
| informant |
a group member secretly in alliance with the
researcher, as an aid to the researcher in studying the group |
| intervening variable
|
a variable caused by the independent variable and
which in turn causes the dependent variable |
| market research |
a type of evaluation research, he purpose of
which is to evaluate the sales potential of some product or service
|
| mean |
the sum of a set of values divided by the number
of cases from which the values are obtained; an average |
| median |
the midpoint in a series of values that are
arranged in numerical order |
| mode |
the value that appears most frequently in a set
of data |
| participant observation
|
a method whereby the sociologist becomes both a
participant in the group being studied and a scientific observer of
the group |
| percentage |
parts per hundred |
| policy research |
research intended to produce results for social
policy |
| population |
a relatively large collection of people (or other
unit) that a researcher studies and about which generalizations are
made |
| probability |
the likelihood that a specific behavior or event
will occur |
| qualitative research
|
research that is somewhat less structured yet
focused on a question being asked; it is more interpretive and tends
to have greater depth than quantitative research |
| quantitative research
|
research that uses statistical methods |
| random sample |
a sample that gives everyone in the population an
equal chance of being selected |
| rate |
parts per a given number (for example, per
10,000, per 100,000) |
| reliability |
the likelihood that a particular measure would
produce the same results if the measure were repeated |
| replication study |
research that is repeated exactly but on a
different group of people at a different time |
| research design |
the overall logic and strategy used in a research
project |
| sample |
any subset from a population that a researcher
studies |
| scientific method |
the steps in a research process, including
observation, hypothesis testing, analysis of data, and
generalization |
| validity |
the degree to which an indicator accurately
measures or reflects a concept |
| variable |
something that can have more than one value |