Sociology 2206A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Sampling Frame, Nonverbal Communication, Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2206A/B
• Professor: Steven J Maynard

Document Summary

Survey research is a quantitative social research technique in which one systematically asks many people the same questions, then records and analyzes their answers: surveys are appropriate for research questions about self-reported beliefs or behaviours. Researchers warn against usi(cid:374)g su(cid:396)(cid:448)e(cid:455)s to ask (cid:862)why(cid:863) (cid:395)uestio(cid:374)s. Wh(cid:455) (cid:395)uestio(cid:374)s a(cid:396)e app(cid:396)op(cid:396)iate if a (cid:396)esea(cid:396)(cid:272)he(cid:396) (cid:449)a(cid:374)ts to dis(cid:272)o(cid:448)e(cid:396) a (cid:396)espo(cid:374)de(cid:374)t"s subjective understanding or informal theory. Limitation: survey research only provides data of what a person or organization says, this may differ from what he or she actually does. Rubenson found that 83% of people responding to the canadian election survey said they had voted in the 2000 federal election, the official voter turnout was only 61% Survey researchers sample many respondents who answer the same questions, in the same order, in the same way. They measure many variables, multiple hypotheses, and infer temporal order from questions a(cid:271)out past (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iou(cid:396) (cid:894)ie. (cid:455)ea(cid:396)s of s(cid:272)hooli(cid:374)g o(cid:396) a (cid:396)espo(cid:374)de(cid:374)t"s (cid:396)a(cid:272)e e(cid:454)ist p(cid:396)io(cid:396) to (cid:272)u(cid:396)(cid:396)e(cid:374)t attitudes).