Introduction to Social
Research, Professor Phillips
Study Guide for Final
Exam
KEY CONCEPTS AND
ISSUES
Note: This listing
is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to help guide and focus your
studying.
Overview of
Survey Research
Strengths &
weaknesses * key characteristics compared to field research and experimentation
* guidelines for writing good questions * clarity and precision * appropriate
vocabulary * double-barreled questions * emotionally loaded words * leading questions
* agreement bias * negative items * position biases * sensitive questions *
exhaustive and mutually exclusive response categories * respondent competency *
format considerations * question placement * randomized response technique *
self-administered questionnaire * mail questionnaire * interviewer administered
questionnaires * face-to-face interviews * telephone interviews * probes *
closed-ended questions * open-ended questions * response rates.
Sampling and
Statistics
Probability
sampling * non-probability sampling * target population * sampling frame *
random sampling * parameter * statistic * simple random sampling * systematic
random sampling * stratified random sampling (proportionate vs.
disproportionate) * cluster sampling (single-stage vs. multistage) * primary
sampling units * availability / convenience sampling * quota sampling *
purposive / judgmental sampling * snowball sampling * systematic sampling error
* random sampling error * descriptive statistics * inferential statistics * measures
of central tendency: mean, median, mode * measures of spread / dispersion:
variance, standard deviation * chi square test of independence * bivariate statistical tables * analysis of questionnaire
data * variability * correlation matrix * internal consistency / inter-item
reliability.
Experiments
Strengths &
weaknesses * key features of a "true" experiment * random assignment
vs. random sampling * internal validity (causal validity) * external validity *
experimental group (treatment group) * comparison groups * control group *
matching * pretest * posttest * threats to internal validity * selection bias *
differential attrition * external events / history effects * endogenous change:
maturation, testing effects, instrumentation, regression * contamination *
other types of treatment misidentification (such as staff expectations, placebo
effect, Hawthorne effect) * pre-experimental designs * one-shot case study *
one-group pretest-posttest design * static-group comparison * "true"
experimental designs * pretest-posttest control group design * posttest-only
control group design * Solomon four-group design.
Evaluation
Research
Purpose
* distinctions between applied evaluation research and basic social research *
measurement problems * important measurement issues to consider * threats to
external validity * stakeholders * types of evaluation research designs.
Additional
topics
Basic skills and
concepts from group projects
And don’t forget
other key issues discussed throughout the course, such as…
Errors in lay
reasoning * fundamental requirements for establishing that a relationship is
causal * independent / dependent / control / antecedent / intervening variables
* hypothesis testing * unit of analysis * validity * reliability * levels of
measurement * reactive effects * field research * ethics in research *
secondary data analysis