(no subject)
Debriefing
(1) Interviewing subjects to learn about their experience of participation in the project. Especially important if there's a possibility that they have been damaged by that participation. (2) Pulling someone's shorts down. Don't do that. It's not nice.
Deduction
(1) The logical model in which specific expectations of hypotheses are developed on the basis of general principles. Starting from the general principle that all deans are meanies, you might anticipate that this one won't let you change courses. This anticipation would be the result of deduction. See also induction. (2) What the Internal Revenue Service said your good-for-nothing moocher of a brother-in-law technically isn't. (3) Of a duck.
Conceptualization
(1) The mental process whereby fuzzy and imprecise notions (concepts) are made more specific and precise. So you want to study prejudice. What do you mean by "prejudice"? Are there different kinds of prejudice? What are they? See Chapter 5, which is all about conceptualization and its pal, operationalization. (2) Sexual reproduction among intellectuals.
Concept mapping
(1) The graphical display of concepts and their interrelations, useful in the formulation of theory. (2) A masculine technique for finding locations by logic and will, without asking for directions.
Cluster sampling
(1) A multistage sampling in which natural groups (clusters) are sampled initially, with the members of each selected group being subsampled afterward. For example, you might select a sample of U.S. colleges and universities from a directory, get lists of the students at all the selected schools, then draw samples of students from each. (2) Pawing around in a box of macadamia nut clusters to take all the big ones for yourself.
Codebook
(1) The document used in data processing and analysis that tells the location of different data items in a data file. Typically, the codebook identifies the locations of data items and the meaning of the codes used to represent different attributes of variables. See Chapter 14 for more discussion and illustrations. (2) The document that cost you 38 box tops just to learn that Captain Marvelous wanted you to brush your teeth and always tell the truth. (3) The document that allows CIA agents to learn that Captain Marvelous wants them to brush their teeth.
Zero-order relationship
(1) In the elaboration model, this is the original relationship between two variables, with no test variables controlled for. (2) A blind date that just didn't work out. Hang in there. You can always turn to social research methods.
URL
(1) Web address, typically beginning with "http://"; stands for "uniform resource locator" or "universal resource locator." (2) Phonetic spelling of "Earl."
Typology
(1) The classification (typically nominal) of observations in terms of their attributes on two or more variables. The classification of newspapers as liberal-urban, liberal-rural, conservative-urban, or conservative-rural would be an example.(2) Apologizing for your neckwear.
Statistical significance
(1) A general term referring to the likelihood that relationships observed in a sample could be attributed to sampling error alone. See tests of statistical significance. (2) How important it would really be if you flunked your statistics exam. I mean, you could always be a poet.
Spurious relationship
(1) A coincidental statistical correlation between two variables, shown to be caused by some third variable. For example, there is a positive relationship between the number of fire trucks responding to a fire and the amount of damage done: the more trucks, the more damage. The third variable is the size of the fire. They send lots of fire trucks to a large fire and a lot of damage is done because of the size of the fire. For a little fire, they just send a little fire truck, and not much damage is done because it's a small fire. Sending more fire trucks does not cause more damage. For a given size of fire, in fact, sending more trucks would reduce the amount of damage. (2) You thought you were going steady but that @#*&@#&* thought you were "just friends."
Simple random sampling
(1) A type of probability sampling in which the units composing a population are assigned numbers. A set of random numbers is then generated, and the units having those numbers are included in the sample. Although probability theory and the calculations it provides assume this basic sampling method, it's seldom used, for practical reasons. An equivalent alternative is the systematic sample (with a random start). (2) A random sample with a low IQ.
Scale
(1) A type of composite measure composed of several items that have a logical or empirical structure among them. Examples of scales include Bogardus social distance, Guttman, Likert, and Thurstone scales. Contrasted with index. (2) One of the less appetizing parts of a fish.
Reductionism
(1) A fault of some researchers: a strict limitation (reduction) of the kinds of concepts to be considered relevant to the phenomenon under study. (2) The cloning of ducks.
Path analysis
(1) A form of multivariate analysis in which the causal relationships among variables are presented in graphic format. (2) Watching your step along a horse trail.
Partial relationship
(1) In the elaboration model, this is the relationship between two variables when examined in a subset of cases defined by a third variable. Beginning with a zero-order relationship between political party and attitudes toward abortion, for example, we might want to see whether the relationship held true among both men and women (i.e., controlling for gender). The relationship found among men and the relationship found among women would be the partial relationships, sometimes simply called the partials. (2) Someone you would take to the opera but not to mud wrestling.
Paradigm
(1) A model or framework for observation and understanding, which shapes both what we see and how we understand it. The conflict paradigm causes us to see social behavior one way, the interactionist paradigm causes us to see it differently. (2) $0.20.
Mode
(1) An average representing the most frequently observed value or attribute. If a sample contains 1,000 Protestants, 275 Catholics, and 33 Jews, Protestant is the modal category. See Chapter 14 for more thrilling disclosures about averages. (2) Better than apple pie à la median.
Median
(1) An average representing the value of the "middle" case in a rank-ordered set of observations. If the ages of five men are 16, 17, 20, 54, and 88, the median would be 20. (The mean would be 39.) (2) The dividing line between safe driving and exciting driving.
Mean
(1) An average computed by summing the values of several observations and dividing by the number of observations. If you now have a grade point average of 4.0 based on 10 courses, and you get an F in this course, your new grade point (mean) average will be 3.6. (2) The quality of the thoughts you might have if your instructor did that to you.
Induction
(1) The logical model in which general principles are developed from specific observations. Having noted that Jews and Catholics are more likely to vote Democratic than are Protestants, you might conclude that religious minorities in the United States are more affiliated with the Democratic party and explain why. This would be an example of induction. See also deduction. (2) The culinary art of stuffing ducks.
Guttman scale
(1) A type of composite measure used to summarize several discrete observations and to represent some more-general variable. (2) The device Louis Guttman weighs himself on.
Grounded theory
(1) An inductive approach to the study of social life that attempts to generate a theory from the constant comparing of unfolding observations. This is very different from hypothesis testing, in which theory is used to generate hypotheses to be tested through observations. (2) A theory that is not allowed to fly.
Face validity
(1) That quality of an indicator that makes it seem a reasonable measure of some variable. That the frequency of church attendance is some indication of a person's religiosity seems to make sense without a lot of explanation. It has face validity. (2) When your face looks like your driver's license photo (rare and perhaps unfortunate).
Explanation
(1) An elaboration model outcome in which the original relationship between two variables is revealed to have been spurious, because the relationship disappears when an intervening test variable is introduced. (2) "My little sister ate my homework."
Well, look who's finally decided to post! Me!
I suppose a whole ton has happened since my last post, but I can't remember most of it, and you don't want to be bored by all of it, so we both win.
Basically I found a bunch of definitions my Social Sciences Professor posted on BB for us, and that's how I ended up entertaining myself during class. And I thought some of you would get a kick out of them as well. (Hint: mostly the B definition is the entertaining part)
P.S. The cut is before the real typing cause LJ is being dumb and not letting me just move it, and I'm far too lazy to do the whole thing over again.
Other than that, we've got possible plans for tye dying socks in the near future if anyone's interested in a very potentially messy sort of party :-P
I need to go critique my ability to publicly speak now, have a nice night.
comment if: you think you are part of the target audience for Smuckers.