What is the consistency of a measurement tool or the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers?

AB
Scientific Method The standard procedure for acquiring and verifying empirical(concrete, scientific) knowledge.
Literature Review A thorough search through previously published studies relevant to a particular topic.
Hypothesis A theoretical statement explaining the relationship between 2 or more phenomena.
Variables One of two or more phenomena that a researcher believes are related and hopes to prove through research
Paradigm Shift Describes a change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline.
Ethnography A naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities.
Participant Observation A methodology associated with ethnography where the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting.
Access The process by which an ethnographer gains entry to a field setting.
Fieldnotes Detailed notes taken by an ethnographer describing her activities and interactions--becomes an ethnographic analysis.
Reflexivity How the identity and activities of the researcher influence what is going on in the field setting.
Grounded Theory An inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships between categories.
Replicability Research that can be repeated, and thus verified, by other researchers later.
Representativeness The degree to which a particular studied group is similar to, or represents any part of the larger society.
Bias An opinion held by the researcher that might affect the research or analysis.
Interviews Face-to-face information-seeking conversation, sometimes defined as a conversation with a purpose.
Respondents A researcher solicits information from them
Target Population The entire group about which the reporter generalizes
Sample The part of the population that will actually be studied
Informed Consent The researcher makes sure that respondents are freely participating and understanding the nature of research
Close-ended Question Imposes a limit on possible responses (asked of a respondent)
Open-ended Question Allows the answer to take whatever form the respondent chooses
Leading Questions Predispose a respondent to answer in a certain way
Double-Barreled Questions Attempt to get at multiple issues at once, and so tend to receive incomplete answers
Survey A method based on questionnaires that are administrated to a sample of respondents selected from a target population
Likert Scale A way of organizing categories on a survey question so that the respondent can choose an answer along a continuum
Negative Questions Ask respondents what they don't think instead of what they do
Representative Sample Taken so that findings from members of the same sample group can be generalized to the whole population
Probability Sampling Any sampling scheme where the probability of selecting any given unit is known
Simple Random Sample A particular type of probability sample, where every member of the population has an equal chance at being selected.
Weighting Techniques for manipulating the sampling procedure so that the sample more closely resembles the larger population
Reliability The consistency of a question or measurement tool, the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers
Confidentiality The assurance of privacy
Validity The accuracy of a question or measurement tool
Pilot Study A small study carried out to test the feasibility of a larger one
Experimental Group Part of a test group that receives the experimental treatment
Control The process of regulating all factors except the independent variable
Control Group Allowed to continue without intervention, so that they can be compared with the experimental group
Existing Sources Any previously collected data
Comparative and Historical Methods Use existing sources to study relationships between elements of society in various regions and time periods
Content Analysis A method in which researchers identify and study specific variables--such as words--in a text, image, or media message
Value-Free Sociology An ideal whereby researchers identify facts without allowing their own personal beliefs or biases to interfere
Basic Research The search for knowledge without any agenda or desire to use that knowledge to effect change
Applied Research Designed to allow the researcher to use what is learned to create some sort of change
Objectivity Impartiality, the ability to allow the facts speak for themselves
Reactivity The tendency of people and events to react the process of being studied
Hawthorne Effect A specific example of reactivity, where the desired effect is the result of not the independent variable, but of the research itself
Code of Ethics Ethical guidelines for researchers to consult as they design a project
Institutional Review Board A group of scholars within a university who meet regularly to review and approve the research of their colleagues and make recommendations for how to protect human subjects
Culture The entire way of life of a group of people that acts as a lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next
Ethnocentrism The principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading tot he view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal
Cultural Relativism The principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating to one's culture
Material Culture The objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings and artwork: any physical object which we give social meaning
Symbolic Culture The ideas associated with a culture group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving
Sign A symbol that stands for, or conveys an idea
Gestures The ways in which people communicate with their bodies without words. Actions that have symbolic meaning
Language A system of communication--sounds, gestures, etc. The basis of symbolic culture and the main way we communicate
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis An idea that language structures thought, and the ways of looking at the world are embedded in language
Values Ideas about what is desirable or contemptible and right or wrong in a particular group
Norm A rule or guideline regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable or appropriate within a culture
Law A common type of formally defined norm--provides an explicit statement about what is okay and not okay in a given society
Folkway A loosely enforced norm, involving common customs, practices, etc. that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance
More Closely related to the core values of a cultural group; often involves severe repercussions for violators
Taboo A norm engrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion
Sanction Positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms. Has rewards and punishments
Social Control The formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity to values and norms--cohesion
Multiculturalism Values diverse backgrounds and encourages the retention of cultural differences within society
Dominant Culture The values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (wealth, prestige, etc)
Hagemony Describes the cultural aspects of social control--the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society
Subculture A group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyles
Counter Culture Rebels the norm
Cultural Wars Clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld
Ideal Culture The norms, values, and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed
Real Culture The norms, values, and patterns of behavior that actually exist within a society
Popular Culture Forms of cultural expression usually associated with the masses, consumer goods, and commercial products
High Culture Cultural expression usually associated with the elite class
Taste Publics Groups who share similar artistic, literature, media, recreational, and intellectual interests
Polysemy Having many possible meanings or interpretations
Interpretive Community Dedicated the consumption and interpretation of a particular cultural product and create a collective, social meaning for the product
Art World The group comprised of everyone involved in the creation, distribution, and consumption of any cultural product
Technology Material artifacts and the knowledge and techniques required to use them
Technological Determination The notion that develops in material culture provide the primary driving forces behind social organization and change
Cultural Diffusion The dissemination of beliefs and practices from one group to another
Cultural Leveling The process by which cultures that were once odd become similar
Cultural Imperialism The imposition of one culture's beliefs, practices, and artifacts on another culture through mass media and consumer products
Nature Vs. Nurture Debate The ongoing discussion of the roles of genetics and socialization in determining the individual behaviors and traits
Socialization The process of learning and adapting the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society
Self The individual's conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others
Id Consists of basic inborn drives that are the source of instinctive psychic energy
Ego The realistic aspect of the mind that balances the forces of the id and the superego
Superego Has two components: the conscience and the ego-ideal, and represents the internalized demands of society
Psycho-Sexual Stages of Development 4 distinct stages of the development of the self between birth and adulthood
Looking-Glass Self The notion that the self develops through our perception of others' evaluations and appraisals of us
Generalized Other The perceptives and expectations of a network of others that a child learns and then takes into account when shaping his or her own behavior
Dual Nature of the Self The belief that we experience the self as both subject and object, the "I" and the "me"
Thomas Theorem Classic formulation of the way individuals define situations whereby, "if people define situations as the real, they are real in their consequences
Definition of the Situation An agreement with others about "what is going on" in a given circumstance. Allows us to coordinate our actions with others and realize goals
Expressions of Behavior Small actions such as an eye roll or head nod, which serve as an interactional tool to help project our definition of the situation to others
Expressions Given Intentional and usually verbal, such as utterances
Expressions Given Off Observable expressions that can be either intended or unintended and are usually non-verbal
Impression Management The effort to control the impressions we make on others so that they form a desired view of us and the situation; the use of self presentation and performance tactics
Dramaturgy An approach in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance
Front The dramaturgical perspective, the setting or scene of performances that helps establish the definition of the situation
Personal Front The expressive equipment we consciously or unconsciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner
Region The context or setting in which the performance takes place
Backstage Places in which we rehearse and prepare our performances
Frontstage The region in which we deliver our public performances
Cooling the Mark Out Behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment
Autoethnography Ethnographic description that focuses on the feelings and reactions of the ethnographer
Agents of Socialization Social groups, institutions, and individuals that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place
Group A collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other
Crowd A temporary gathering of people in a public place; members might interact but do not identify with each other and will not remain in contact
Aggregate A collection of people who share a physical location but do not have lasting social relations
Primary Groups The people who are most important to our sense of self
Secondary Groups Members' relationships are typically characterized by face-to-face interaction, high levels of cooperation and intense feelings of belonging
Social Network The web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect her
Social Ties Connections between individuals
Anomie "Normlessness," Term used to describe the aienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change
Electronic or Virtual Communities Social group whose interactions are meditated through information technologies, particularly the internet
Group Dynamics The patterns of interaction between groups and individuals
Dyad A two-person social group
Triad A three-person social group
In-Group A group that one identifies with and feels loyally toward
Out-Group Any group an individual feels opposition, rivalry, or hostility toward
Reference Group A group that provides standard of comparison against which we evaluate ourselves
Group Cohesion The sense of solidarity or loyalty that individuals feel toward a group to which they belong
Groupthink In very cohesive groups, the tendency to enforce a high degree of conformity among members, creating a demand for a unanimous agreement
Social Influence (Peer Pressure) The influence of one's fellow group members on individual attitudes and behaviors
Prescriptions Behaviors approved of by a particular social group
Proscriptions Behaviors a particular social group wants its members to avoid
Compliance The mildest type of conformity, undertaken to gain rewards or avoid punishments
Identification Stronger than compliance and weaker than internalization, caused by a desire to establish or maintain a relationship with a person or group
Internalization The strongest type of conformity, occurring when an individual adopts the beliefs or actions of a group and makes them her own

What is are the consistency of a measurement tool or the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers?

Reliability and validity Reliability is the degree to which an assessment tool produces stable and consistent results. Validity refers to how well a test measures what it is purported to measure. Score reliability The consistency with which two or more individuals would score the same response to a test item.

Is are the consistency of a measurement tool or the degree?

RELIBILITY - is the consistency of your measurement, or the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used under the same condition with the same subjects. In short, it is the repeatability of your measurement.

What refers to consistency in measurement?

Reliability refers to the consistency of a measure. 1 A test is considered reliable if we get the same result repeatedly.

Which type of variable is a sometimes overlooked variable that explains the relationship between two other variables?

Control variables are often overlooked in research design, which not only can lead to confounding variables but also can adversely affect the internal and external validity of a study. Researchers should consider control variables as important as independent and dependent variables when designing a study.