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Test Bank Family Theories An Introduction 4th Edition by James M. White

Chapter 1 Test Questions

1. A scientific theory contains systematically related ______ that can be tested.
2. hunches

*b. propositions

1. conditions
2. guesses

1. Theories offer explanations by treating specific observations as examples of
2. the truth.
3. observer bias.
4. specific activities.

*d. general principles.

1. Which of the following is an example of an inductive process? A researcher

*a. observes several similar instances of people falling in love and creates a hypothesis about love.

1. reviews literature about divorce and then tries to replicate the results in other survey data.
2. analyzes data collected about parenting and concludes that the data confirms Attachment Theory.
3. tests the idea that depression and marital happiness are related by conducting an online study.

1. Which of the following is NOT one of the building blocks of all scientific theories?
2. concepts

*b. calibrations

1. relations
2. propositions

1. Which of the following describes how abstractions are related?
2. propositions
3. concepts
4. calibrations

*d. relations

1. To be a theory, by definition, it must have

*a. logical form.

1. one or more propositions.
2. a single concept.
3. more than three relations.

1. In a syllogism, the “rule of distributed middle” means that the middle term appears at the ___ of the first premise and at the ___ of the second premise.
2. end; end
3. beginning; beginning
4. beginning; end

*d. end; beginning

1. The “rule of distributed middle” is related to the
2. explanatory power by adding hypotheses to a theory.

*b. logical argument that links two premises to draw a conclusion.

1. effort to create scientific consensus regarding how a concept is defined.
2. belief that extreme theories are less likely to be accurate.

1. In contrast to a religious, literary, or political proposition, to be a scientific proposition it must be
2. objectively important.
3. obvious to observers.

*c. empirically testable.

1. proven true.

1. Scientific theories use _____ arguments to explain phenomena.
2. intuitive
3. demographic
4. inductive

*d. deductive

1. Compared to most other social groups, family relationships tend to be more
2. independent.

*b. involuntary.

1. similar in the age of its members.
2. exclusively affinal.

1. Consistent with the quotes by Burr and Homans, ____ is often considered the most important function of theory.
2. precision

*b. explanation

1. prediction
2. interpretation

1. Which of the following functions of theory focuses on the clarity of articulation of concepts?

*a. precision

1. explanation
2. prediction
3. interpretation

1. Which of the following functions of theory focuses on describing subject matter and promoting stories about the way things work?
2. precision
3. explanation
4. prediction

*d. interpretation

1. Family as a(n) _________ includes all of the beliefs and practices of and about all families in a particular society or geopolitical context.
2. concrete group
3. orientation

*c. institution

1. specific household

1. Which of the following is the clearest example of a family idea appearing as part of an explanation in a theory about poverty?
2. living in an impoverished neighborhood contributes to marital conflict

*b. unwed parenthood leads to higher poverty rates in a country

1. malnutrition due to poverty contributes to children disobeying their parents
2. low-wage employment leads to a lower likelihood of getting married

1. Which of the following criteria for evaluating family theories focuses on existence of logically contradictory assertions?

*a. Internal consistency

1. Coherence
2. Empirical fit
3. Groundedness

1. Which of the following criteria for evaluating family theories focuses on processes that are observable in the world?
2. Internal consistency
3. Coherence
4. Empirical fit

*d. Groundedness

1. Which of the following criteria for evaluating family theories focuses on the avoidance of loose ends?
2. Internal consistency

*b. Coherence

1. Empirical fit
2. Groundedness

1. Which of the following criteria for evaluating family theories focuses on tests of theory that have been interpreted as disconfirming?
2. Internal consistency
3. Coherence

*c. Empirical fit

1. Groundedness

1. According to a survey of 100 family scientists, the most important criteria for evaluating family theories is

*a. Internal consistency

1. Coherence
2. Empirical fit
3. Groundedness

1. A deductive research approach goes from ideas to data.

*a. True

1. False

1. A scientific concept by definition means something different to each person.
2. True

*b. False

1. The measure of people’s height is a variable, but the measure of a people’s favorite color is not a variable.
2. True

*b. False

1. Logically, it is possible for a conclusion to be true without both premises a person links to the conclusion being true.

*a. True

1. False

1. To qualify as a scientific theory, all seven functions of a theory must be achieved.
2. True

*b. False

1. When comparing families with other social groups, families typically have many unique criteria that other social groups lack completely.
2. True

*b. False

1. There is no single, acceptable way to evaluate the quality of a theory.

*a. True

1. False

1. The “heuristic value” of a theory primarily focuses on how well the theory predicts phenomena that have occurred after the theory was formulated.
2. True

*b. False

1. The “predictive utility” of a theory primarily focuses on how well a theory can be applied to social problems, policies, and programs of action.

*a. True

1. False

1. Use the following concepts to create a proposition: Parental love, child academic performance.
2. Answer should include specifically how the two concepts are related: the higher the levels of parental love, the greater child academic performance.

1. Explain what it means for a theory to have “systematically related propositions.”
2. Answer should focus on the need for a theory to have at least two propositions that are linked by relations using some sort of logical form.

1. Explain what is meant by the “fallacy of affirming the consequent.”
2. Answer should include that a true conclusion does not prove that the premises are true. The conclusion may not be related to those premises; easier to disprove a theory than to prove it.

1. What makes a theory a “family theory?”
2. Answer should include that it has one or more ideas about families, and the ideas can be part of an explanation, a phenomenon to be explained, or both.