Research Methods in the Social Sciences Eighth Edition Test Bank

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Multiple Choice Section
1. According to the text, sociology is a science because:
a. its subject matter includes the investigation of society.
b. the phenomena sociologists study are fixed and predictable.
c. the goal of sociology is to predict and explain human behavior.
d. the discipline utilizes a scientific methodology.
Topic: What Is Science?, p. 4, Answer: d
2. According to the authors of this text, science:
a. is easily defined.
b. refers to general or particular bodies of knowledge.
c. is united not by its subject matter but by its methodology.
d. has no methodology.
Topic: What Is Science?, p. 4, Answer: c
3. Knowledge based on sensory experience is known as:
a. inductively strong.
b. a posteriori.
c. rational.
d. a priori.
Topic: Approaches to Knowledge, p. 5, Answer: b
4. Rationalists hold that knowledge claims are justified on the basis of:
a. application of the scientific method.
b. the supernatural.
c. our sensory experiences.
d. our innate capacity to grasp concepts and ideas regardless of our sensory experiences.
Topic: Approaches to Knowledge, pp. 5-6, Answer: d
5. Epistemology refers to:
a. scientific methodology.
b. the scientific investigation of philosophical issues.
c. the study of the foundations of knowledge.
d. the study of primitive societies.
Topic: Approaches to Knowledge, pp. 4-5, Answer: c

6. According to the text, scientific knowledge:
a. once established, is indisputable.
b. is justified on the basis of reason alone.
c. is justified on the basis of both reason and sensory experience.
d. none of these answers are correct
Topic: Approaches to Knowledge, pp. 5-6, Answer: c
7. Which is a fundamental assumption of the scientific approach?
a. Knowledge is superior to ignorance.
b. We can know nature.
c. All natural phenomena have natural causes.
d. All of these answers are correct.
Topic: Basic Assumptions of Science, pp. 6-8, Answer: d
8. Which of the following is NOT a fundamental assumption of the scientific approach?
a. Some natural phenomena have supernatural causes.
b. Knowledge is superior to ignorance.
c. Nature is orderly and regular.
d. Nothing is self-evident.
Topic: Basic Assumptions of Science, pp. 6-8, Answer: a
9. The fundamental assumptions of science:
a. have been proven to be absolutely correct.
b. are necessary prerequisites for the conduct of scientific inquiry.
c. are based on the notion that nature is always imperfect.
d. are absolute truths.
Topic: Basic Assumptions of Science, pp. 6-8, Answer: b
10. Which statement reflects a fundamental assumption of the scientific approach?
a. There are logically compelling reasons for the regularity and order of nature.
b. Knowledge should not be pursued for its own sake, but rather for perfecting human
conditions.
c. A priori knowledge is independent of the human experience.
d. None of these answers are correct.
Topic: Basic Assumptions of Science, pp. 6-8, Answer: d

11. The ultimate goal of the social sciences is to produce an accumulating body of reliable
knowledge enabling us to:
a. predict, understand, and control.
b. explain, manipulate, and dominate.
c. explain, predict, and understand.
d. predict, understand, and manipulate.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 8, Answer: c
12. In a deductive explanation, when a conclusion logically follows from the various premises
of the explanation and one or more premises is not true, the explanation is:
a. deductively valid.
b. deductively sound.
c. a posteriori.
d. a priori.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 9-10, Answer: a
13. Inductive explanations are distinguished from deductive explanations on the basis of:
a. logic.
b. empirical evidence.
c. universal laws.
d. probabilistic judgments.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 8-9, Answer: d
14. An abductive (retroductive) explanation:
a. utilizes universal laws to derive an explanation.
b. has minimal risk of being invalidated by factors outside the purview of the scientist.
c. is common in axiomatic (or formal) theory.
d. can provide a more empathetic understanding of social phenomena.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 10, Answer: d
15. A deductive explanation:
a. expresses an arithmetical ratio between phenomena.
b. is based on probabilistic generalizations.
c. cannot be generalized.
d. is based on universal laws.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 8, Answer: d

16. A scientific explanation that is based upon probabilistic generalization is a(n) _____
explanation.
a. probabilistic
b. deductive
c. inductive
d. supernatural
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 8, Answer: c
17. A probabilistic (inductive) explanation:
a. expresses an arithmetical ratio between phenomena.
b. is based on intuition.
c. cannot be generalized.
d. is based on universal laws.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 8, Answer: a
18. The chief limitation of probabilistic (inductive) generalizations is that:
a. they are not as accurate as deductive explanations.
b. such generalizations cannot be verified empirically.
c. certain conclusions cannot be drawn from specific cases.
d. they are frequently unscientific.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 8, Answer: c
18. Logically speaking, the process of prediction is:
a. identical to the process of explanation.
b. not an integral ingredient in the scientific approach.
c. always accurate as long as antecedent conditions have been verified.
d. the reverse of the process of explanation.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 10-11, Answer: d
19. According to the text, the meaning of the term understanding:
a. is not agreed upon.
b. suggests that the social and natural sciences potentially comprise separate bodies of
knowledge.
c. is rooted in the Verstehen tradition.
d. all of these answers are correct.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 11-12, Answer: d

20. According to the Verstehen tradition:
a. the natural and social sciences are logically identical in their subject matter.
b. the natural and social sciences are distinctive bodies of knowledge.
c. social scientists can obtain objective knowledge about the natural as well as the social
world.
d. empathetic understanding is not essential to the production of knowledge.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 11-12, Answer: b
21. According to the interpretive approach, which emerged as an offspring of the Verstehen
tradition:
a. both the subject matter of the social sciences and the credibility of the findings are
less enduring than those attributed to the natural sciences.
b. there is no difference between the natural and social sciences.
c. the structure of the scientific method in the natural and social sciences is identical.
d. social scientists deal in absolute truth.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 12 Answer: a
22. Logical empiricists take the position that:
a. social scientists can attain objective knowledge in the study of the natural as well as
the social world.
b. the natural and social sciences are distinctive bodies of knowledge with divergent
subject matters.
c. knowledge claims are justified by sensory experiences alone.
d. none of these answers are correct.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 12, Answer: a
23. Scientific methodology is a system of explicit rules and procedures that is:
a. closed and infallible.
b. logically complete such that new methods are unnecessary.
c. self-correcting.
d. immune to criticism.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 12, Answer: c

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24. During the evolution of the methodology of the social sciences, a system of rules and
procedures has emerged, representing a __________ framework of scientific methodology.
a. positive
b. relational
c. normative
d. probabilistic
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, pp. 12-13, Answer: c
25. According to the text, replication in science:
a. is unnecessary.
b. takes place only when it is suspected that another investigator proceeded under false
assumptions.
c. typically reveals that other investigators failed to report their findings correctly.
d. serves as a safeguard against unintentional error.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 13, Answer: d
26. Constructive criticism implies that:
a. certain probing questions should be asked about the procedures used.
b. claims for knowledge cannot be refuted.
c. most scientists reject real criticism.
d. scientific studies are never flawed.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 13, Answer: a
27. The system of reasoning that permits drawing reliable inferences from factual observations
is:
a. logic.
b. tautology.
c. philosophy.
d. methodology.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 13, Answer: a
28. The essential tool of the scientific approach, along with empirical observation is:
a. criticism.
b. observation.
c. logic.
d. none of these answers are correct
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 13, Answer: c

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29. Conclusions in deductive or probabilistic explanations:
a. are established on the basis of purely logical principles.
b. must be established with empirical evidence.
c. follow strictly from the verification of general laws on which such conclusions are
based.
d. are nonsensical.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 14, Answer: b
30. In order to be intersubjective, knowledge in general and scientific methodology in particular
must be:
a. transmissible.
b. indisputable in scientific terms.
c. forever valid.
d. all of these answers are correct
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 14, Answer: a
31. According to Kuhn, normal science:
a. is viewed as the routine verification of the dominant theory in any historical period.
b. is similar to revolutionary science.
c. challenges contemporary paradigms and replaces them as necessary.
d. is pursued by objective scientists that have no allegiance to a particular paradigm.
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, p. 15, Answer: a
32. According to Kuhn, achievements that are sufficiently unprecedented to attract an enduring
group of adherents away from competing modes of scientific activity are termed:
a. paradigms.
b. tautologies.
c. methodologies.
d. revolutions.
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, p. 15, Answer: a
34. According to Kuhn:
a. revolutionary science is the development of rival paradigms that are accepted
gradually by the scientific community
b. normal science involves routine verification and testing as part of a puzzle-solving
activity
c. paradigm transformation characterizes revolutionary science

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d. all of these answers are correct
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, pp. 15-16, Answer: d
35. According to Karl Popper's prescriptive theory:
a. one dominant paradigm must eventually emerge in science.
b. the scientific community ought to be an open society in which no dominant paradigm
is ever sacred.
c. the "normal scientist" has been properly taught.
d. the scientific community ought to be a closed society characterized by a single,
dominant paradigm.
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, pp. 16-17, Answer: b
36. The activities of scientists as they attempt to validate claims for knowledge are referred to as
the:
a. research process.
b. art of insight.
c. context of justification.
d. context of discovery.
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, p. 16, Answer: c
37. The activities of the scientist within the context of ____________ are not constrained by
methodology.
a. justification
b. discovery
c. science
d. verification
Topic: Scientific Revolutions, pp. 16-17, Answer: b
38. Which of the following is NOT one of the fundamental stages of the research process?
a. measurement
b. speculation
c. data collection
d. generalization
Topic: The Research Process, pp. 17-18, Answer: b
39. The most characteristic feature of the research process is:
a. its cyclic nature.
b. measurement by design.

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c. hypothesizing.
d. theory building.
Topic: The Research Process, p. 17, Answer: a
40. The research process:
a. involves going through the fifteen distinct stages of the process.
b. begins at the same point in the process in order to facilitate replication and
verification.
c. is an overall strategy of scientific activities that scientists engage in to produce
knowledge.
d. is purely a logical exercise.
Topic: The Research Process, pp. 17-18, Answer: c
True/False Section
T F 1. What makes knowledge scientific is the methodology used to obtain it.
Topic: What Is Science?, p. 4, Answer: True
T F 2. Claims to propositional knowledge require a set of beliefs that are both true
and justified.
Topic: Approaches to Knowledge, p. 5, Answer: True
T F 3. One of the basic assumptions of science is that knowledge is self-evident.
Topic: Assumptions of Science, p. 7, Answer: False
T F 4. Deductively sound explanations are valid but not necessarily true.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 9, Answer: False
T F 5. Abductive explanations are not commonly employed by those in the social
sciences, but are preferred in the natural sciences.

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Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, p. 10, Answer: False
T F 6. The Verstehen tradition is based on empathic understanding of social
phenomena.
Topic: Aims of the Social Sciences, pp. 11-12, Answer: True
T F 7. Replication and constructive criticism are important safeguards against
unintended error and ensure quality research.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 13, Answer: True
T F 8. Knowledge that is communicable and mutually agreed upon by members of the
scientific community is known as deductive.
Topic: The Roles of Methodology, p. 14, Answer: False
T F 9. A paradigm is unprecedented enough to attract an enduring group of adherents
away from other commonly held scientific beliefs.
Topic: Normal Science, p. 15, Answer: True
T F 10. Generalizations derived from a tested hypothesis that is true cannot be
refuted.
Topic: The Research Process, p. 18, Answer: False
Essay Section
1. Compare and contrast rationalist and empiricist modes of thought regarding claims to
knowledge, and discuss the contribution of Immanuel Kant.
2. What are the basic assumptions of science? Use three of these assumptions to invalidate
commonly held beliefs about natural phenomena that are not rooted in science.

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3. Compare and contrast deductive, inductive, and abductive explanations of the
relationship between two or more phenomena. Detail a situation where only an abductive
explanation would suffice, and explain why neither deductive nor inductive explanations
could adequately explain said phenomenon.
4. Explain how rules communication, reasoning, and intersubjectivity are important in
scientific methodology, and how constructive criticism from other scientists is vital for
scientific research and ultimately knowledge claims.
5. Define a scientific paradigm in the context of “normal science.” Give an example of a
revolutionary scientific paradigm that was (or still is) commonly rejected within the
scientific community.

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Multiple Choice Section
1. “Social status,” “role,” “power,” “bureaucracy,” and “cohort” are all examples of:
a. norms.
b. values.
c. concepts.
d. beliefs.
Topic: Concepts, p. 24, Answer: c
2. According to the text, concepts:
a. are abstract representations of phenomena.
b. are particular to social (versus natural) science.
c. can only be defined by other concepts.
d. are not essential to research design.
Topic: Concepts, p. 24, Answer: a
3. Which statement is NOT a function of concepts in social science research?
a. concepts are the foundation of communication
b. concepts introduce a way of looking at empirical phenomena
c. concepts serve as components of theory
d. all of the these answers are correct
Topic: Concepts, p. 25, Answer: d
4. Which statement does NOT reflect a function of concepts?
a. to separate the social sciences from the other sciences
b. to serve as the components of theory
c. to serve as a means for classification and generalization
d. to introduce a point of view
Topic: Concepts, p. 25, Answer: a
5. The error in science of regarding abstractions as actual (real) phenomena is termed the:
a. error of ostensive definition.
b. fallacy of reification.
c. misconceptualization of generalities.
d. error of progressive ordering.
Topic: Definitions, p. 27, Answer: b
6. Speaking or writing about the concept of “liberty” as if liberty somehow exists in the world
as a thing itself is an example of the fallacy of:
a. objectification.

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b. dramatization.
c. reification.
d. generalization.
Topic: Operational Definitions, p. 27, Answer: c
7. In which set of terms do all of the members NOT display a generic resemblance to the
concept that is listed first?
a. tree: oak, spruce, palm
b. occupation: plumber, teacher, nurse
c. power: electricity, individualism, legitimacy
d. conflict: argument, war, riot
Topic: Concepts, p. 24, Answer: c
8. Compared with scientific definitions, everyday language:
a. is too vague, ambiguous, and imprecise.
b. is completely arbitrary.
c. makes communication with nonscientists impossible.
d. offends all scientists.
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: a
9. Concepts that cannot be defined by other concepts are called:
a. unique definitions.
b. relative concepts.
c. derived terms.
d. primitive terms.
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: d
10. Colors, sounds, smells, and tastes are all examples of __________ terms.
a. relative
b. derived
c. primitive
d. unique
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: c
11. Concepts that are defined using primitive terms are said to be defined using:
a. ostensive definitions.
b. derived terms.
c. relative terms.

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d. operational terms.
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: b
12. If we agree on the meaning of the terms “individual,” “interact,” and “regularly,” then the
concept “group” can be defined as two or more individuals who interact regularly. In this
instance, “group” is a __________ term.
a. primitive
b. derived
c. relative
d. unique
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: b
13. According to the text, conceptual definitions:
a. consist of primitive and derived terms.
b. are defined using everyday language.
c. must be true.
d. identify a set of procedures.
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: a
14. Which term is NOT an example of a primitive term for the concept of a group?
a. individuals
b. interact
c. collective
d. regularly
Topic: Definitions, p. 26, Answer: c
15. To which of the following does this definition apply? "A set of procedures that describes
the activities one should perform in order to establish empirically the existence or degree of
existence of a phenomenon described by a concept."
a. conceptual definition
b. ostensive definition
c. operational definition
d. scientific definition
Topic: Definitions, p. 27, Answer: c
16. If we define male attractiveness as the rating of any given male on a subjective scale of one
to ten on a popular website, then this definition is a(n) _____ definition.
a. conceptual
b. operational
c. ostensive

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d. scientific
Topic: Definitions, p. 27, Answer: b
17. If we define intelligence as reflected by scores on an intelligence test, then this definition is
a(n) ____________ definition.
a. conceptual
b. ostensive
c. operational
d. scientific
Topic: Definitions, p. 27, Answer: c
18. According to Melvin Seeman, which of the following is NOT part of his conceptual
definition of alienation?
a. self-identity
b. powerlessness
c. meaninglessness
d. normlessness
Topic: The Definition of Alienation, pp. 27-28, Answer: a
19. According to the text's discussion of congruence,:
a. congruence between conceptual definition and operational definitions cannot be
evaluated.
b. conceptual and operational definitions need not overlap.
c. congruence refers to the degree of agreement between conceptual and operational
defintions.
d. congruence is only significant within specific theoretical contexts.
Topic: Bridging the Conceptual and Operational Divide, p. 29, Answer: c
20. According to the orthodox operational approach:
a. a concept that cannot be operationally defined (at least in principle) should not be used
in scientific research.
b. non-operationally defined concepts lead to meaningless research.
c. the scientific meaning of a concept can be established only by specifying a set of
operations.
d. all of these answers are correct
Topic: Definitions, p. 29, Answer: d
21. According to the text, if a concept cannot be operationally defined, then it:
a. is useless to the scientist.

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