Theory and Social Research

Please fill in the blank with the best key word from either class material or the textbook.

1. Whether a concept is very abstract, very concrete, or in between is known as the concept's __________.

2. Theories explain how many concepts relate to each other, and a __________ is an association between concepts that is testable through social research.

3. When the range of a theory is most abstract and least concrete, it is referred to as __________.

4. When the range of a theory is least abstract and most concrete, it is referred to as __________.

5. Theory is not the same as __________, which identifies who is responsible for a problem using a legal, moral, or ideological argument instead of a scientific one.

6. Theory depends on many concepts, which is why a group of interconnected concepts is called a __________.

7. The __________ approach to creating theory and concepts begins with abstract ideas about the social world and gathers evidence to support these ideas.

8. The __________ approach to creating theory and concepts bases these ideas on evidence from the social world gathered through exploratory research.

9. Theory that addresses impersonal social forces involving a large number of people is known as __________-level theory.

10. Theory that addresses interpersonal interaction with a small number of people is known as __________-level theory.

11. Theory that addresses the linkages between interpersonal interaction and broad social forces is known as __________-level theory.

12. A __________ is a characteristic of people or other units of analysis that differ from one individual to the next.

13. Concepts rely on __________ about how the social world works in order to make sense in their particular context.

14. A form of theoretical explanation that correctly foresees what research will discover or what the future will bring is known as __________.

15. An integrated set of assumptions, models of doing research, and techniques for gathering and analyzing data is known as a __________.

16. The __________ approach assumes that what works for the physical sciences does not work for the social sciences, and external, material reality is not as important as people's beliefs, ideas, and perceptions.

17. The __________ approach to social science holds that studies, while objective, are not neutral, and research should help to advance social progress in the world.

18. A __________ relationship means that as one characteristic increases in value, the other characteristic will tend to decrease in value.

19. __________ is a structural explanation of a situation or outcome that outlines a system of interconnected people, organizations, or other units.

20. __________ is a structural explanation of a social phenomenon as being part of a larger social system with a specialized place and specific rolewithin it.

21. The term __________ means that theoretical explanations follow laws or law-like principles about the social world.

22. Quantitative problem:Here is a list of work hours per week for 12 recent college graduates: {40, 16, 30, 50, 35, 40, 0, 28, 32, 60, 40, 44}.

a. What is the median work week? Please show your work.

b. What is the mean work week? Please show your work.

23. Quantitative problem: Here is a list of exam grades for several students:
{93, 77, 82, 98, 91, 89, 72, 54, 84}.

a. What is the exam median grade? Please show your work.

b. What is the exam mean grade? Please show your work.