Introduction to Sociology

Question 5 Answer: the weight gained
Because the variable that is measured and assessed for change is weight gain, that is the dependent variable.


Question 6 Answer: In 2003, states like Arkansas adopted laws requiring elementary school to remove soft drink vending machines from schools.
This statement is considered an objective, positive statement, which means that it does not show bias one way or another.


Question 7 Answer: a fast-food restaurant
Accepting funding from a fast-food restaurant when studying this topic could potentially create a conflict of interest and would be considered unethical.


Questions 8 Answer: the Hawthorne effect
This effect describes the phenomenon of people changing their natural behaviors because they’re being observed by others.


Question 9 Answer: Everyone has the same chance of being part of the study
Random sampling is one of the ways researchers can control for error.


Question 10 Answer: control
Typically done in a laboratory setting, experiments work to control all variables to help ensure that the differences seen are related to the manipulation of the independent variable and nothing else.


Question 11 Answer: Ethnography
The researchers moved to Muncie, Indiana and lived and worked there for 18 months. The entire city (population 30,000) was the subject of their study.


Question 12 Answer: ethnography isn’t based on hypothesis testing
Hypothesis testing outlines a specific question that researchers want to ask


Question 13 Answer: Its results are not generally applicable
Because a case study is typically done with one individual (or one subject set, like a family, couple, or small group), with little control for error, generalization is usually limited.


Question 14 Answer: Books and articles written by other authors about their studies
Using written material and previously analyzed work from multiple sources is one way that researchers are able to show trends across studies.


Question 15 Answer: nonreactive The use of secondary data allows for further analysis of existing data.


Question 16 Answer: Secondary data analysis Data that does not come from firsthand research collected by primary sources is considered to be secondary data analysis.