Now listen to part of a lecture in a sociology class. The professor is discussing the criteria for using older research referenc

Narrator 2: Number 6. Listen to part of a lecture. Then listen for a question about it. After you hear the question, you have 20 seconds to prepare, and 60 seconds to record your answer.
Narrator 1: Now listen to part of a lecture in a sociology class. The professor is discussing the criteria for using older research references. Professor: Well, first of all you have to understand that there’s no hard and fast rule for deciding when a research reference is too old. But that doesn’t help you much. So, I’ll try to give you a couple of guidelines, and then you’ll just have to use good judgment. Okay, let’s just say for our purposes, that the research is thirty years old. Then the next thing to think about is whether any changes have occurred in society to call the data into question. For example, in a study that looks at diet, we know logically that many changes have occurred in eating patterns over the past thirty years, so this study would probably be out of date. But a study of, say, uh, language development may be okay because the way that babies learn their native language hasn’t changed much in the same period of time. So, what I’m saying is... the date is less important than the potential for change. Okay, then the second criteria to consider is
whether the citation is a finding or an opinion. If you have a study that indicates, uh, for example, that college students are drinking more, that’s a finding, but if you have a statement by the researcher that drinking is the most serious problem on campus, then you have an opinion. And opinions are accurate over the years as long as they’re attributed to the person and the date is cited. But the finding for an older study may be too old. In that case, it’s probably better to use a more recent study.
Narrator 1: Using the main points and examples from the lecture, describe the two criteria for using an older research reference presented by the professor.
Narrator 2: Please prepare your answer after the beep.
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[Preparation time: 20 seconds]
Narrator 2: Please begin speaking after the beep.
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[Recording time: 60 seconds]
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