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analysis of existing data
type of unobtrusive research that relies in data gathered earlier by someone else for some other purpose
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content analysis
unobtrusive research that studies the content of recorded messages, such as books, sppeches, poems, songs, television shows, web sites, and ads
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empirical research
operates from the ideological position that questions about human behavior can be answered only through controlled, systematic observations in the real world
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experiment
research method designed to elicit some sort of behavior, typically conductued under closely controlled laboratory circumstances
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field research
social research inw hich the researcher observes events as they actually occur
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historical analysis
social research that relies on existing historical documents as a source of data
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hypothesis
researchable prediction that specifies the relationship between two or more variables
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incorrigible position
unquestioned cultural belief that cannot be proved wrong no matter what happens to dispute it
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nonparticipant observation
field research in which the researcher observes people without directly interacting with them and without letting them know that they are being observed
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participant observation
field research in which the researcher interacts with subjects, sometimes hiding his or her identity
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probabilistic
capable of indentifying one those forces that have a high liklihood, but not a certainty, of influencing human action
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qualitative research
based on nonnumerical info (text, written words, phrases, symbols, observations) that describes people, actions, or events in social life
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quantitative research
based on the collection of numerical data that uses precise statistical analysis
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representative
typical of the whole population being studied
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sample
subgroups chosen for a study because its characteristics approximate those of the entire population
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self-fulfilling prophecy
assumption or prediction that in itself causes the expected event to occur, thus seeming to confirm the prophecy's accuracy
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social construction of reality
process through which the members of a society discover, make known, eraffirm, and alter a collective version of facts, knowledge, and "truth"
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survey
social research in which the researcher asks subjects a series of questions, either verbally or on paper
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theory
set of statements or proposition that seeks to explain or predict a particular aspect of social life
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unobtrusive research
the reasearcher, without direct contact with the subjects, examines the evidence of social behavior that people create or leave behind
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variable
any characteristic, attitude, behavior, or event that can take on two or more values or attributes
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