EXERCISES AND PROJECTS

Exercise 3-1

1. Suppose a survey of adult residents in a suburban community explored the relation between personal income and attitudes toward a proposal to increase local property taxes. In the spaces provided, supply the following information:

Unit of analysis:
Independent variable:
Dependent variable:
Expected direction of relationship:
Possible control variable:
2. Suppose the same survey examined the relation between frequency of attendance of religious services and attitudes toward a proposed local ordinance to ban the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 21. The relation is positive if we find that _____.

Exercises 3-2

For each set of three variables shown below, formulate a clear, specific, and value-free research hypothesis. Also indicate how you think the control variable could affect the relation between the independent and dependent variables.
Set A
Independent variable: Ethnicity
Dependent variable: Trust in government
Control variable: Socioeconomic status
Hypothesis:
Effect of control variable:

Set B
Independent variable: Age
Dependent variable: Voter turnout
Control variable: Interest in politics
Hypothesis:
Effect of control variable:

Set C
Independent variable: Urbanization
Dependent variable: Birthrate
Control variable: Availability of birth control information
Hypothesis:
Effect of control variable:

Set D
Independent variable: Gender
Dependent variable: Automobile safety
Control variable: Driving distance
Hypothesis:
Effect of control variable
Exercise 3-3

In terms of the criteria for hypothesis construction discussed in Chapter 3, identify the defect in each of the following statements:
  1. "Attitudes toward authority are related to childhood upbringing."
  2. "Welfare programs are the result of the moral decay of society."
  3. "Intuition is the most important key to wise decision making."
  4. "Jogging is a better form of exercise than walking."
Exercise 3-4

Locate an article in a peer-reviewed journal that reports the results of research designed to test a hypothesis.
  1. Give the full bibliographic citation for the article.
  2. What is the unit of analysis?
  3. What is the principal hypothesis?
  4. What is the independent variable, and how is it operationalized?
  5. What is the dependent variable, and how is it operationalized?
  6. Are the independent and dependent variables discrete or continuous?
  7. Is the relation between the independent and dependent variable positive, negative, or zero?