REVIEW QUIZ: CONCEPTS & TERMS

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Directions for Part I:
Select the correct answer to each of the following questions by clicking on the appropriate radio button. When you've answered all the questions, click on the "How did I do?" button. The questions you missed are displayed below your score. Go back to the questions that you missed and try again. Recalculate your score by clicking on the button again. Keep working until your score is 100%.

1. If you claim that sociological knowledge is a set of assertions accepted by most sociologists, you could be identified as:
a Pragmatist.
an Empiricist.
a Historicist.
a Positivist.

2. Which methodological perspective is most likely to identify with Empiricism?
Pragmatism
Materialism
Historicism
Positivism

3. Empiricism is a philosophical position defined by an emphasis on:
sense perceived data.
the social construction of discourse.
a refutation of history.
a compromise between historicism and positivism.

4. If you examine a collection of individual cases and formulate a general rule about them, you've engaged in:
the scientific method.
deduction.
tautology.
induction.

5. The Historicist might attempt to refute the Positivist's claim about the priority of sense perceived data by pointing out:
the fact of evolution.
"History is written by the winners."
Humans are imperfect recording devices.
Nonhuman animals have sharper senses, but are not more intelligent than humans.

6. Which of the following is NOT a necessary component of the scientific method?
careful observation
consistent measurement
experimental design
public reporting of data

7. The mathematical representation of the extent to which two variables are related is called:
a hypothesis.
a parameter.
covariance.
positivism.

8. Some sociologists argue that to explain a phenomenon, it is not enough to thoroughly describe it, but rather, we must be able to:
control it artificially.
diagram it.
reduce it to its essential parts.
predict the conditions under which it will and will not occur.

9. The primary advantage of the "outsider" perspective in sociological research is:
It is easier to be objective.
It is more empirical.
It is more quantitative.
It is more qualitative.

10. Good research, it is often said,
must be quantitative.
raises more questions than it answers.
is experimental.
always proves the hypothesis.

11. Why do sociologists want to generalize rather than particularize when studying some social phenomenon?
We are more interested in social patterns than individual cases.
Abstractions are more scientific.
We are not interested in history.
Empirical data is unreliable.

12. What is the law of parsimony?
Concepts are not real.
What works better is better.
We should try to explain a phenomenon in as simple a manner as is possible, given the data.
A statement that is true by definition.

13. Which of the following is not a tautology?
As more people lose their jobs, unemployment results.
People with low self-esteem do not like themselves very much.
Crime is a result of people breaking the law.
Lower social integration results in higher rates of suicide.

14. Propositions involve _____ while hypotheses involve _____ .
variables. . . constants
concepts. . . variables
parameters. . . statistics
populations. . . samples

15. What condition makes a hypothesis falsifiable?
It is incorrect.
It is abstract.
There is some result that would disconfirm it.
Empirical results are generally in its favor.

16. When someone notices a case that confirms a hypothesis but ignores other cases that fail to support it, _____ has occurred.
inaccurate observation
selective observation
overgeneralization
illogical reasoning

17. When we accept an assertion on the basis of the prestige of the person making it, the source of our knowledge can be identified as:
authority.
tradition.
ordinary inquiry.
direct sense perception.

18. Science, as a manner of seeking knowledge, differs from ordinary experience because it:
is based on probabilities.
seeks causal explanations.
involves direct observation.
rests on logic and systematic observation.

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Directions for Part II:
Respond to each of the following items in three or four clear and concise sentences. (Watch for grammar and spelling.) When you are finished, click on the "Send Answers" button to send me a copy of your responses. I will send you feedback after I've looked over your answers.

19. Briefly describe how the pragmatic approach to social research is different from the positivist or historicist approaches.

20. Why is prediction harder than description as a form of explanation?

21. Give an example of a proposition?

22. Why are sociologists more likely to use nomothetic explanations than ideographic ones?