Chapter 2: Theory and Research
Student: ___________________________________________________________________________
1. If we approach a setting with a theory we want to test, we are employing 
A. common sense.
B. inductive reasoning.
C. deductive reasoning.
D. personal knowledge.
E. both inductive reasoning and personal knowledge.
 
2. In the following phrase, _____ is the variable: _____ is the variable attribute or characteristic. “In our research, we are looking at how gender (male or female) affects the amount of money individuals leave for tips at restaurants.” 
A. gender, male or female.
B. gender, amount of money.
C. male or female, gender.
D. male or female, amount of money.
E. none of these.
 
3. In the above example, a possible hypothesis that could be generated is 
A. men are more likely to be larger tippers than women.
B. women are more likely to be larger tippers than men.
C. larger tippers are more likely to be physically attracted to restaurant workers of the opposite sex.
D. all of these are plausible hypotheses.
E. none of these are plausible hypotheses.
 
4. In question #2, the independent variable is _____ while the dependent variable is _____. 
A. gender, tipping behavior
B. tipping behavior, gender
C. gender, gender
D. tipping behavior, size of tip
E. size of tip, gender
 
5. _____ are words are signs that are used to describe phenomena. 
A. Variables
B. Categories
C. Concepts
D. Theories
E. none of these
 
6. According to Wallace, the cyclical model of science is 
A. ideal for testing a theory.
B. ideal for examining unstudied phenomena.
C. a method for bringing social injustices to the public’s attention.
D. a way of examining whether interventions are having their intended effect.
E. designed to describe, in detail, groups, activities, situations, events.
 
7. If we are planning to test a theory about information channels and will be using electronic  communications among professionals to understand how information moves through an organization, we are most likely using 
A. inductive reasoning.
B. deductive reasoning.
C. empirical generalizations.
D. the cyclical model of science.
E. causality.
 
8. _____ is a statement about two or more _____ are expected to relate to each other. 
A. A theory; hypotheses
B. A hypothesis ; theories
C. A hypothesis; variables
D. A compatibility test; variables
E. A theory; concepts
 
9. In order to test a theory, we must 
A. complete a literature search.
B. eliminate all other variables.
C. subject the theory to a test in the real world.
D. compare it to other theories and see if it makes logical sense.
E. none of these.
 
10. When we develop ways to classify subjects to represent variables that we are interested in understanding, we are employing 
A. measurement.
B. deductive reasoning.
C. inductive reasoning.
D. variable analysis.
E. none of these.
 
11. An example of a concept that may interest sociologists is 
A. the states in the United States.
B. the days of the week.
C. social and economic class.
D. self-esteem.
E. both self-esteem and social and economic class.
 
12. If in our research, we have observed that 10 individuals with characteristic X seem to be more committed to ideas about social equality than other individuals without that characteristic, we are making 
A. unfounded assumptions.
B. theories.
C. empirical generalizations.
D. deductive conclusions.
E. hypotheses.
 
13. The steps involved in inductive reasoning involve 
A. making observations, generalizing, theorizing.
B. theorizing, generalizing, and testing with observations.
C. making observations, theorizing, and testing these.
D. making observations, measuring, and theorizing.
E. generalizing and theorizing.
 
14. Which of the following would be considered a variable: 
A. marital status
B. employment status
C. education
D. religion
E. all of these are variables
 
15. The dependent variable (DV) is defined as 
A. a variable that affects or influences another variable.
B. a variable that is being influenced by another variable.
C. a statement about how two or more variables are expected to be related to one another.
D. a variable that comes before and is responsible for the association between the dependent and independent variable.
E. the condition of empirical association.
 
16. Which of the following is associated with grounded theory? 
A. empirical association
B. inductive reasoning
C. deductive reasoning
D. conceptualization
E. concepts
 
17. Measurement 
A. is basically a representation of variable concepts.
B. is an empirical statement.
C. is an empirical generalization.
D. has nothing to do with variables.
E. none of these.
 
18. A hypothesis 
A. is a causal relationship.
B. is a testable statement about how two or more variables are expected to be related to one another.
C. ensures spuriousness.
D. is non-causal.
E. none of these.
 
19. A theory 
A. has to do with the conceptualization of concepts.
B. is a characteristic that may vary from one subject to another.
C. is an explanation about how and why something is as it is.
D. is a testable statement about how two or more variables are expected to be related to one another.
E. None of these.
 
20. Which of the following is a category of a variable? 
A. male
B. Asian
C. sociology
D. divorced
E. all of these are categories of variables
 
21. Which of the following is NOT one of the three conditions that must exist before we can say that an independent variable causes a dependent variable? 
A. non-spuriousness
B. time order
C. empirical association
D. temporal precedence
E. all of these must exist for causality
 
22. An antecedent variable 
A. comes after the independent variable.
B. comes after the independent variable and before the dependent variable.
C. comes before both the independent variable and the dependent variable.
D. comes after the dependent variable.
E. none of these.
 
23. When does one eliminate alternative explanations? 
A. when establishing empirical association
B. when establishing temporal order
C. when demonstrating non-spuriousness
D. when establishing causality
E. when establishing both empirical association and causality
 
24. To demonstrate non-spuriousnessness means to 
A. establish causality
B. eliminate alternative explanations
C. give evidence for time order
D. give evidence for a hypothesis
E. none of these
 
25. A _____ variable has an effect on the dependent variable as well as an effect on the independent variable. 
A. independent
B. antecedent
C. intervening
D. extraneous
E. time order
 
26. Which of the following was not demonstrated in the focal research examples? 
A. the relationship between theory and research
B. social theory is obvious in society
C. social theory can be a hidden aspect of society
D. theory can be described at either the beginning or end of an article
E. social theories allow aspects of social life to be articulated and understood
 
27. The focal research example on role theory by Adler and Clark was an example of 
A. causal research
B. inductive reasoning
C. deductive reasoning
D. empirical association
E. non-spuriousness
 
28. If social scientists want to develop or build theories about an aspect of social life that has previously been misunderstood, they might engage in 
A. developing grounded theory
B. deductive reasoning
C. testing existing theory
D. inductive reasoning
E. both inductive reasoning and developing grounded theory
 
29. Resulting summaries that come from a set of observations are referred to as. 
A. inductive reasoning
B. qualitative analysis
C. deductive reasoning
D. causality
E. empirical generalizations
 
30. A hypothesis is a hunch about the social world that suggests how two variables work together. 
True    False
 
31. Deductive reasoning refers to the process of making observations and then creating a theory. 
True    False
 
32. If we were interested in understanding the impact of listening to rap music on the development of creativity in youngsters, we would measure creativity as the independent variable. 
True    False
 
33. A theory cannot be proven unless we test it in the real world. 
True    False
 
34. If we are using the variable of “primary language” to understand responses to a survey, categories might include French, Italian, Spanish, English, and so on. 
True    False
 
35. In order to prove that variables are causally related, that is that no one causes the other, it is necessary to determine that no other variable is in fact the causal agent. 
True    False
 
36. Most sociologists agree that developing social theories is impossible because it is too difficult to create conditions where researchers could manipulate the social world to see how social phenomena affect individuals and vice versa. 
True    False
 
37. Just because two variables are related to each other in some manner does not mean that they are necessarily causally related. 
True    False
 
38. If we move from specific observations to more general abstractions, we are using deductive logic. 
True    False
 
39. It is far easier to do research that involves deductive reasoning than inductive reasoning. 
True    False
 
40. Grounded theory is associated with empirical generalizations. 
True    False
 
41. The fact that two variables are associated does not necessarily mean that one variable causes another variable. 
True    False
 
42. One reason causality is hard to establish is because we want to make sure the cause comes “after”, not “before”, the effect. 
True    False
 
43. Causality is difficult to establish; only survey design is meant to establish causality. 
True    False
 
44. The cyclical model of science is meant to represent the relationship between theory testing and theory building. 
True    False
 
45. Construct a hypothesis with an independent and dependent variable that relates to interpersonal violence, success in school, or other topic of interest to you and consider how you would test this in the "real world". 

 

 
 
46. There are many individuals and organizations that are concerned about the rise in violence among youth.  If you were generating a theory about this issue, how would you lay out the connections between the dependent and independent variables?  List some possible independent variables, dependent variables and discuss what would have to be determined for the research to demonstrate causal relationships. 

 

 
 
47. Explain the requirements of causation. 

 

 
 
48. What is the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning in the development of theory? 

 

 
 
49. Describe the cyclical model of science. How does this model demonstrate the importance of the relationship between theory and research? 

 

 

Chapter 2: Theory and Research Key
 
1. C
 
2. A
 
3. D
 
4. A
 
5. C
 
6. B
 
7. B
 
8. C
 
9. C
 
10. A
 
11. E
 
12. C
 
13. A
 
14. D
 
15. B
 
16. B
 
17. A
 
18. B
 
19. C
 
20. E
 
21. E
 
22. C
 
23. C
 
24. B
 
25. D
 
26. B
 
27. C
 
28. E
 
29. E
 
30. TRUE
 
31. FALSE
 
32. FALSE
 
33. TRUE
 
34. TRUE
 
35. TRUE
 
36. FALSE
 
37. TRUE
 
38. FALSE
 
39. FALSE
 
40. FALSE
 
41. TRUE
 
42. FALSE
 
43. FALSE
 
44. TRUE
 
45. Not provided
 
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47. Not provided
 
48. Not provided
 
49. Not provided