1. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World Robert J. Brym and John Lie Wadsworth Group/Thomson Learning © 2003

2. Chapter 2 Research Methods Supplementary Slides

3. How to Calculate a Mean ¶Add up the Values of a Variable for Each Case. ·Divide the Sum by the Number of Cases. ¸The Result Is the Mean.

4. How to Calculate a Median ¶Order the Cases From the Lowest to the Highest Value of the Variable. ·Find the Midpoint of the Ordered Cases. ¸The Median Is the Value at the Midpoint. ¹Note: If the Number of Cases Is Even, the Midpoint Is the Average of the Middle Two Values.

5. What Is a Correlation? ¶A Measure of Association Between Variables ·Correlations Can Vary From -1 (a Perfect Negative Association) to +1 (a Perfect Positive Association). A Correlation of Zero Indicates No Association ¸If Markers in a Graph Show the Value of Cases on Two Variables, and a Straight Line Minimizes the Distance of the Markers From the Line, the Correlation Measures the Degree of Scatter

6. How to Calculate a Rate To Calculate the Rate of Marriage Per 100,000 People in a City in 2003: ¶Determine the Actual Number of Marriages in the City in 2003. ·Divide the Number by 100,000. ¸The Result Is the Rate of Marriage Per 100,000 People in the City in 2003.