Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Sociology

What is quantitative data?

• Data that is able to be presented in numerical form

• Data that is presented in written, verbal, or visual formats

• Data that is subjective in nature

• Data that cannot be analyzed

Which type of data is more objective in nature?

• Subjective data

• Quantitative data

• Qualitative data

• Contextual data

What type of data do positivists prefer?

• Contextual data

• Qualitative data

• Subjective data

• Quantitative data

Which method is more likely to be used by interpretivists?

• Experiments

• Qualitative methods

• Statistical tests

• Questionnaires with closed questions

What is a characteristic of qualitative data?

• It is always numerical

• It is more objective

• It is often presented in written, verbal, or visual formats

• It is easily replicated

Which method is NOT typically used to produce quantitative data?

• Experiments

• Questionnaires with closed questions

• Opinion polls

• Unstructured interviews

What is a common use of quantitative data?

• Recording personal documents

• Gaining insights into individual experiences

• Reporting social trends

• Understanding the meanings behind behaviors

Which of the following is a source of qualitative data?

• Official statistics

• Content analysis

• Unstructured interviews

• Opinion polls

What is methodological pluralism?

• Avoiding the use of any methods

• Using only qualitative methods

• Using only quantitative methods

• Combining both quantitative and qualitative methods

Which method is used to observe the frequency of behaviors over time?

• Non-participant observations

• Ethnographic approaches

• Unstructured interviews

• Case studies