Sociology 217 | Research Methods | Exam II Study Guide | Professor Ghaziani

Exam II has 25 short answer questions and 20 multiple choice questions. 50 points in total.
Spend 60-65 minutes on the short answers, and 15 minutes on the multiple choice questions. You
will have the full class period to complete the exam (80 minutes).

CFA students: please register your accommodations with the CFA office.
Paper Exam Request Deadline: Email Prof. Ghaziani by 3pm, November 3rd.
Note: Students who elect the paper option are required to sit in the front row of the lecture hall.

Qualitative Research Methods

• KEY IDEAS & CONCEPTS:

o What are similarities and differences between qualitative & quantitative
research?
▪ Similarities:
• Empiricism  data collection is systematic
• Logic  data analysis is systematic
▪ Differences
• Number of cases, number of aspects
• Words, numbers
• Insider’s perspective, aggregate trends
• Theory building, theory testing
• Validity, reliability
o When is it appropriate to use qualitative methods? o What are the basic
tools of collecting qualitative data? o Identify and define the different
modes of observation.
▪ When to use qualitative
• To give voice
• To interpret historically or culturally significant
phenomena
• To advance new theories
▪ Tools
▪ Different modes of observation
• Complete participant (reactivity is not an issue)
• Participant as observer (identity is known, participating_
• Observer as participant (not participating, identity is
known)
• Complete observer (not participating, but identity not
known)

1
 o Why should you interview? o What are the different features of units of
analysis? o Be sure you understand coding (what it is, types).
▪ Why?
• Cannot observe everything: attitudes, feelings,
motivations
▪ Units of analysis
• Observations, interviews, documents
o Documents:
o Public
o Private
o Mass media artifacts
o Physical artifacts
▪ Types of codes
• Open codes  identify many concepts
• Axial codes  smaller number of core concepts
• Focused codes  major ideas in the study
o Be sure you understand the different types of patterns.

• KEY TERMS / VOCABULARY:

o Types of qualitative studies o Types of Interviews o Reactivity
o Codes and Coding

Comparative Research Methods

• KEY IDEAS & CONCEPTS:

o When is it appropriate to use comparative methods, and what are its goals? o Know
how to interpret a truth table, including its rows and columns.
o If given a truth table, know how to answer its research question.
o Interpret the RESULTS*of*COMPARATIVE*RESEARCH.

• KEY TERMS / VOCABULARY:

o The meaning of “diversity” in comparative research o The meaning of a “case” in
comparative research o The meaning of “parsimony” in comparative research o Causal
Conditions o Causal Configurations o Truth Table / Data Matrix
o Level of measurement used by comparative researchers

Quantitative Research Methods

• KEY IDEAS & CONCEPTS:

o When is it appropriate to use quantitative methods?

2
 o Know how to create and interpret a frequency distribution. o Know how to determine
the mean, median, mode, range, and standard deviation. o How should you assess a
correlation?
o What is the difference between a regression and a correlation?
o If presented with a data table, be able to write an equation for a regression line,
interpret the constant, and interpret the beta coefficients.
o Imagine that I provide you with the equation for a regression line. You should be able
to predict how the value of the dependent variable will change as a function of values
for the independent variable(s). o What is r2? What is R2? What’s the difference?
How do you interpret the numbers?

• KEY TERMS / VOCABULARY:

o Parsimony and Generality
o Cause (requirements to assert causality) vs. Correlation (types) o Scatter Plots o
Hypotheses (Null and Alternate/Research) o Distribution and Frequency Distribution
o Measures of Central Tendency, Measures of Dispersion o Greek Letters that
Correspond to Statistics o Univariate, Bivariate, and Multivariate Analyses o The
Pearson Product-Moment Correlation
o Regression Line, Line of Best Fit
o Error Term
o Simple and Multiple Regression (a, β, XN, e) o Venn Diagrams

Sampling & Probability Theory

• KEY IDEAS & CONCEPTS:

o What is the difference between probability and non-probability sampling?
o What does probability theory teach us, and why is it important? o What is the
68-95-99 framework? Why is it useful? How do you use it?
o Probability  generalizable, random
o Non-probability  non random
o Understand the unique properties of a normal curve / normal distribution.

• KEY TERMS / VOCABULARY:

o Population, Target Population, Sampling, Sample, Inference o Statistic vs.
Parameter o Sampling Distribution o Standard Error / Sampling Error o
Confidence Level vs. Confidence Interval o Types of Random and Non-random
Samples

Interviewing

• KEY IDEAS & CONCEPTS:

3
 o Why should you interview?
▪ You cannot observe everything: attitudes, feelings, motivations, intentions or
past or future aspirations
o What assumptions do researchers make when they interview? o What is an interview
guide, and why is it important to have one? o Know the types of interviews.
▪ Assume that people can express what: they have thought about it and are not
making up answers
▪ Assume that what people say is a valid expression of what: if you talk the talk
you also walk the walk
▪ Formal structured interviews, semiformal semi-structured interviews, informal
unstructured interviews
o Know the types of questions researchers ask in interviews.
▪ Open ended
▪ Close ended
o What procedure do researchers follow for sequencing their questions?
▪ Introduce general theme of your interview
▪ Use demographic questions sparingly, and early
▪ Begin by asking about something in the present moments
▪ Follow with questions about their opinions and feelings
▪ Finish with an open-ended question
o Why should you avoid dichotomous questions?
▪ Because they elicit yes or no responses
▪ Devoid of meaningful responses
o Why are some researchers skeptical about using “why” questions? o What is the
hallmark of focus group interviews?
▪ Why questions presuppose that you know an answer but how do you know that
they really know and aren’t making up an answer, what if they say “I don’t
know”
▪ Why questions can elicit general knowledge rather than
▪ How questions allow people to remember the steps that got them to their
conclusion
o How do you make generalizations more feasible? (see textbook) o Why are interviews
both a science and an art?
▪

• KEY TERMS / VOCABULARY: o Open-ended versus Close-ended questions o

Informed Consent o Rapport and Neutrality o Follow-up and Probe questions
o Pretesting o Retrospective or Recall Bias (how do you prevent it?) o Social
Desirability Bias (how do you prevent it?)
o Groupthink o Priming
o Order Effects

4
5