Research Methods - Exam 1

social research

can be descriptive, explanatory, exploratory, or evaluative— or a combo of these

• systematic procedures select individuals or grps to study so study subject rep individuals/ grps to which we want to generalize

scientific method

a systematic process used to explore observations, answer questions, and test hypotheses through experimentation and evidence-based reasoning.

variables

• lumping those characteristics: (abstract) logical

  • EX: Gender

Attributes

• characteristics

  • EX: male, female, etc..

IV

impacts, changes

DV

topic; depends upon another variable

aggregates

a collection of individuals who are physically present in the same location at the same time but do not necessarily interact or share a common identity

demographic

the structure of a populations and the different groups within them

nomothetic - “no mo” than three

• I don’t have to knowing anything, but give me these three:

  • key reason

  • partial understanding

  • for a collection of people/events

induction

• qualitative - information (word-based)

  • start w/ observation: using senses

  • looking for patterns

  • once found, explain why

deduction

• quantitative

  • traditional model of science

  • Start w/ theory to identify concepts and logical connections

  • conceptualize by giving dictionary definition

  • operationalize by how to measure variable

  • develop hypothesis to show expected relationship

quantitative

using numbers to describe answers

paradigm

school of thoughts a way to organize ideas

concepts

number that has fixed value in a given situation → a characters or values that doesn’t change

theory

logically, interpreted set of prepositions about imperial reality

• conflict theory → 1) people self-interested 2) diff. between people and groups 5) ideas 6) violence always potential research

hypothesis

states relationship between two variables

grounded theory

theory derived from data in the course of a particular study

intersubjectivity

agreements about reality that result from comparing the observations of more than one observer

laws

no true laws of behavior but all of these things come together to say you are affected by social forces

microtheory

a theory aimed at understanding social life at the intimate level of individuals and their interactions

macrotheory

a theory aimed at understanding the “big picture” of institutions, whole societies, and the interactions among societies

traditional model of science

another name for deduction

spurious relationships

nature of presumed relation between two variables that actually results from variation in a third variable

free will vs. determinism

• Free will: behavior is a result of an individual’s decision

  • probabilistic causal model understand the tension between

    • The Nomothetic and Idiographic model fit under this

• Determinism: behavior is a result of a determinant that is observable or measurable

deceiving subjects

subjects that were misled by/about research procedures

analysis and reporting

• analysis: involves interpreting and understanding the data collected

• reporting: the process of presenting the findings in a clear and stuctured manner

Humphrey’s Tearoom Trade study

• observed men engaging in homosexual behavior in public facilities controversially → didn’t get informed consent from subjects

Milgram’s Obedience studies

• participants are told to shock the victim when they answer a question incorrectly

  • the test is to determine how far the participant will go

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

• harm to participants

  • African American men had syphilis and the scientist knew but didn’t tell them and they all died

Zimbardo’s Prison Simulation study

• psychological damage caused

  • men were divided in inmate and guard roles. The guards became very violent to the prisoners

Belmont Report

1. respect for persons - some grps need to be extra kind to

   1. Child, mentally ill, old people…

2. beneficence - minimize harm, maximize benefits

3. Justice - spread out cost/benefit of research

   1. Fed. Policy for protection of Human Subjects

Institutional Review Board

• group of organized and community representatives required by Federal law to review ethical issues in all proposed research that’s federally funded

debrief

give any and all explanation of the experiment to participant after it is finished. Especially if a lie was told within experiment

informed concent

A document that assures the researcher that the participant has given consent to participate in the study

plagiarism

stealing another’s working and passing it off as your own

What are the ways science gets around problems of everyday observation?

• replicate your study

• use logic theoretical framework

• peer reviewed articles

• Accurate specific recordings

• ask a number of different questions

• remove yourself and be objective not subjective

• knowing that nothing ever ends is also important and intersubjectivity which states if the scholars in the field agree that it is an okay way to measure something then it's good to go.

What is the nature & focus of scientific inquiry (patterns, aggregates, etc.)?

• we are focused on aggregate behavior of the patterns of the group

• We are not so much focused on the behavior of the individual

• We tend to look at the things from the perspective as a whole not as single behavior

What is the difference between deduction & induction using Walter Wallace's Wheel of Science?

• Deduction is quantitative - using numbers to describe an answer

• Induction is qualitative - using characteristics and word-based information

How do the various schools of thought affect our research design? (structural-functionalism, conflict, symbolic interaction)

• structural-functionalism: believes there are pieces and parts that work together and are interested in the way society works to maintain a stable society

• Conflict: believes in competition for scare resources

• symbolic interactionism: tries to explain how we develop understandings within groups of people

What is the difference between idiographic & nomothetic models?

the idiographic model looks for characteristics of an individual while the nomothetic model wants information about a broad scope

What are the 3 criteria for causality?

1. cause must precede the effect in time'

   1. IV has to happen first

2. Two variables must be empirically correlated

   1. needs an observable relationship; strong or weak

3. the observable relationship… we have to make sure this isn’t a spurious relationship

Discuss the general idea about determinism & the probabilistic nature of things.

determinism is the belief that human behavior and social interactions can be determined by biological and social factors, and that free will is simply an illusion… behavior is shaped by customs, culture, etc..

How does sociological inquiry compare with that of other disciplines?

• differs from other disciplines in its focus on the collective and structural elements of society

What are the various parts to a research article and what is included in each.

• abstract: brief explanation of what the article and study is about

• hypothesis: stating what you believe is going to happen; what you are testing for

• method: what you experiment consisted of & how you went about it

• results: listing what results you got at the end of your study

• discussion: talks about what your results mean; what you found

• references: list of all references used

Differentiate across the types of research (eg. applied, descriptive, explanatory, etc.)

basic research allows us to get an answer to a quick question.

• exploratory research would be looking at the literature to see if anyone else has studied your topic and if no one else has studied it you are doing exploratory research. descriptive

• Research is just describing the characteristics of a group of people. explanatory research is explaining the connection between two socially defines issues or topics.

• This has a theoretical framework to it. applied research, evaluation research, and explanatory research are testing the effectiveness of a program or policy.

Discuss the ethical concerns faced by a social scientist.

1. harm to participants

2. deception

3. voluntary participation

4. privacy

5. sponsors

6. analysis and reporting

Discuss the procedures necessary to have your research approved by the Institutional Review Board.

provide IRB proposal that includes research instruments used, consent forms, details abt the research design that show the benefits outweigh the risks, and complete a training program abt research on human subjects

Discuss how we gather literature and construct a literature review.

gather literature

• specify research question, identify appropriate databases to search, create a list of search terms, narrow the list, check the results, and locate the articles

lit review

• summarize prior research, critique that research, and present pertinent conclusions related to your research

Explain the parts to the Informed Consent Cover Letter and the reasons why we use it.

• info. abt researcher

• purpose of research

• procedures

• potential risks/discomforts

• potential benefits

• identifiable private info

• confidentiality and storage of data

• participation and withdraw

• who to contact in case of questions

• research subjects’ agreement and signature

Explain the parts to the Institutional Review Board Full Review Application and the reasons why we use it

• provide information about the researcher (their info/qualifications) and the timeline of the research

• disclose the anticipated source of funding

• give what information will be used from the research participants (# and demographics)

• describe the research project, procedures, and way of collecting data

• disclose the risks associated with the research

• disclose the level of confidentiality granted

• ensure you’ve met the informed consent requirements

• signature complying to meet the IRB requirements

anonymity vs. confidentiality

• anonymity: situation in which the identity of research subjects is unknow to the researcher

• confidentiality: situation in which the identity of research subjects or participants is kept secret by the researcher

  • informed consent is needed