Research Methods & Data Analysis Flashcards

The ecological fallacy involves:

Answer: Using group-level data to draw conclusions about individuals

The ecological fallacy occurs when aggregate-level findings are incorrectly applied to individual-level behavior.

Which index is most appropriate for measuring dispersion in an ordinal variable?

Answer: Interquartile range

The interquartile range (IQR) uses rank-order information and does not require interval-level measurement, making it appropriate for ordinal data.

Purposive (judgmental) sampling is most justified when:

Answer: The researcher selects information-rich cases to study a phenomenon in depth

Purposive sampling deliberately selects cases that best illuminate the research question rather than seeking statistical representativeness.

In a double-blind experiment, neither the participants nor the researchers administering treatments know the group assignments. This design controls for:

Answer: Placebo effects and experimenter expectancy effects

Double-blinding prevents both participant placebo responses and researcher behavior from biasing the outcome measurement.

A p-value of 0.03 in a sociological study means:

Answer: There is a 3% probability of observing results this extreme if the null hypothesis were true

The p-value is the probability of obtaining results at least as extreme as observed, assuming the null hypothesis is correct.

Operationalization in sociological research refers to:

Answer: Defining how an abstract concept will be measured in concrete terms

Operationalization specifies the observable indicators or procedures that will be used to measure a theoretical concept.

Snowball sampling is particularly useful for studying:

Answer: Hard-to-reach or hidden populations

Snowball sampling uses existing participants to recruit further participants, making it effective for stigmatized or concealed groups.