Chapter 15, Problem 1RQE

Summary Introduction

Introduction

What are the theoretical underpinnings of the study? That androgynous names reflect increasing feminism.

How are some of the key variables such as androgynous, racial, and gender segregation conceptualized and operationalized? Female children got androgynous names more often.

What data is this research based on? First names of babies from 1916-1989

Are there controlling variables?

What is the unit of analysis? First names

What type of analysis was done? Schelling residential segregation model

What did the authors find? The minimal increase in androgyny reflects a gender contamination effect that may be operating in a variety of other domains as well.

h. What are the strengths and weaknesses in this study? Strength - long duration of data gathering from most of the 20th century. Weakness - this study describes what happened, but does not explain it very well.

Explanation of Solution

Answer and explanation

(This question calls for a subjective answer. This is an example of an appropriate response.)

This study was made to determine whether increasingly androgynous naming represents an increase in the influence of feminism. One key variable was that female children got androgynous names more often than male children. Researchers used data on the first names of babies in the United States between 1916 and 1989. The unit of analysis was first names, and Schelling residential segregation model was used to analyze data. The authors found that the numbers of androgynous names is increasing very slowly, and this could represent gender contamination in a variety of domains. The strength of the study is the amount of data used, and one weakness is that it seems more descriptive than explanatory.