Question 1

Which data collection method is most likely to provide a deeper understanding of social behavior but is difficult to quantify and generalize?

Accepted Answer

Field research

Question 2

A sociologist wants to study the historical trends in college dropout rates using data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Which method is most appropriate, and what is a major disadvantage?

Accepted Answer

Secondary analysis; information may be incomplete

Question 3

Which of the following is a key advantage of using mailed questionnaires in survey research?

Accepted Answer

Findings are often generalizable

Question 4

A researcher compares transcripts of college graduates and dropouts to analyze variables such as gender and social class. What is this method called, and what is a potential disadvantage?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis; coding may reflect social class bias

Question 5

Which method is best suited for testing whether providing tutors to students with low GPAs increases graduation rates, and what is a limitation?

Accepted Answer

Experiments; subjects aren’t representative of a larger population

Question 6

If a sociologist wants to recode errors easily and compare data over time without influencing the subjects, which method should they use?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis

Question 7

Which of the following is a disadvantage of field research?

Accepted Answer

Findings are not generalizable

Question 8

A sociologist wants to replicate a study to test the effect of tutoring on graduation rates. Which method allows for replication, and what is a challenge?

Accepted Answer

Experiments; laboratory setting is artificial

Question 9

Which method is most likely to be affected by self-selection bias?

Accepted Answer

Surveys

Question 10

A researcher observes classroom participation among first-year students with varying GPAs. What is a major advantage of this method?

Accepted Answer

Flexible and offers deeper understanding of social behavior

Question 11

Which method is usually inexpensive, unobtrusive, and permits comparisons over time, but may be labor intensive and subject to coding bias?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis

Question 12

A sociologist uses interviews to study why students succeed or drop out of college. What is a key disadvantage of this approach?

Accepted Answer

Interviews are usually expensive

Question 13

Which method is most likely to be limited by the accessibility of documents and the completeness of information?

Accepted Answer

Secondary analysis

Question 14

If a researcher wants to study social behavior in a natural setting but is concerned about observer bias, which method are they using?

Accepted Answer

Field research

Question 15

Which method is most likely to be inexpensive, have a plentiful supply of subjects, but cannot be generalized to a larger population?

Accepted Answer

Experiments

Question 16

A sociologist wants to analyze gender and race differences in college transcripts over several decades. Which method is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis

Question 17

Which method is flexible, usually inexpensive, but findings are not generalizable and quantification is difficult?

Accepted Answer

Field research

Question 18

A researcher wants to use a method that is unobtrusive and allows for easy error correction, but is concerned about social class bias. Which method should they be cautious about?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis

Question 19

Which method is most likely to be affected by the artificiality of the laboratory setting?

Accepted Answer

Experiments

Question 20

A sociologist wants to use a method that is accessible, convenient, and inexpensive, but is concerned about the inability to collect some data over time. Which method is this?

Accepted Answer

Secondary analysis

Sociological Research: Data Collection Methods

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