A Researcher Records for Each of 500 Randomly Selected Towns

question 27

Essay

A researcher records for each of 500 randomly selected towns, the number of churches in the town and the number of homicides in the town in the past ten years. The towns range in size from a population of 1000 to a population of 1,000,000. He then performs a chi-square test of independence for these two variables. Would you expect that he would find association between the two variables? If so, should he conclude that a causal relationship exists? Explain your thinking.

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Definitions:

Structuralists

An approach in sociology and anthropology that interprets society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.

Empiricism

A theory of knowledge asserting that information comes primarily from sensory experience and observation.

Universal Phenomena

Events, patterns, or characteristics that are found across all cultures and societies, transcending local or specific cultural customs.

Logocentrism

The prioritization of logic, reason, and language as the primary means of understanding or interpreting reality.