Research Methods in Social Science Flashcards
7 cards from real BSocSc Bachelor of Social Science practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Research Methods in Social Science flashcards as text
Which method is most commonly associated with ethnographic research?
Answer: Participant observation
Ethnography relies on participant observation, where the researcher immerses themselves in a social setting to understand it from the inside.
What is a 'confounding variable' in a research study?
Answer: An extraneous variable that is related to both the independent and dependent variable, potentially distorting results
A confounding variable is an unmeasured or uncontrolled variable that correlates with both the independent and dependent variables, threatening internal validity.
Content analysis is best described as:
Answer: A systematic method for categorizing and analyzing text, images, or media
Content analysis is a research technique used to systematically identify, code, and interpret patterns within qualitative or textual data.
Which of the following is an example of a Likert scale question?
Answer: Rate your agreement: 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree
A Likert scale captures the degree of agreement or disagreement using an ordered set of response options, typically ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
What is 'reflexivity' in qualitative social science research?
Answer: The researcher's critical self-awareness of how their position and assumptions influence the research
Reflexivity requires researchers to examine how their own identity, values, and perspectives shape the research process and its interpretation.
A researcher studying poverty chooses to interview people living in homeless shelters because they are easily accessible. This is an example of:
Answer: Convenience sampling
Convenience sampling selects participants based on ease of access rather than any randomized or structured procedure, limiting representativeness.
Which statistical measure describes the spread or dispersion of data points around the mean?
Answer: Standard deviation
Standard deviation quantifies how much individual data points deviate from the mean, indicating the variability within a dataset.