📚 Learning Guide
Hypothesis Testing in Sociology
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A sociologist wants to study the impact of urban living on community engagement. They propose the hypothesis: 'If individuals live in urban areas, then their level of community engagement will be lower than those in rural areas.' Which of the following options best describes the flaw in this hypothesis?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

It fails to clearly define what is meant by 'community engagement'.

B

It does not consider other factors that may influence community engagement, such as socioeconomic status.

C

It assumes that living in urban areas directly causes lower community engagement without accounting for other variables.

D

It is structured correctly as an if-then statement.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

The flaw in this hypothesis is that it oversimplifies the relationship between urban living and community engagement by assuming that living in urban areas automatically leads to lower engagement. Urban areas often have diverse opportunities for involvement, such as community organizations and events, which can actually encourage engagement. Additionally, the hypothesis does not consider other factors that might influence community engagement, like individual personality traits or socioeconomic status. For example, a person living in a busy city might be very active in local charities, while someone in a rural area could be more isolated. Therefore, the hypothesis needs to account for these complexities rather than making a direct comparison based solely on location.

Detailed Explanation

The hypothesis assumes that living in cities causes less community involvement. Other options are incorrect because This option suggests that the term 'community engagement' is unclear; This choice thinks the hypothesis overlooks other influences.

Key Concepts

Hypothesis Testing
Independent and Dependent Variables
Correlation vs. Causation
Topic

Hypothesis Testing in Sociology

Difficulty

medium level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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