Chapter Two: Sociological Research

Discovering Sociology Chapter Two

Common sense

everyday assumptions, not tested scientifically

Scientific method

systematic way of asking questions and testing them with data

Hypothesis

testable prediction about how variables relate

Variable

something that can change (age, income, etc.)

Independent variable

the cause

Dependent variable

the effect

Quantitative research

numbers, stats, large patterns

Qualitative research

meanings, interviews, observations

Reliability

consistency of results

Validity

accuracy of what’s being measured

Field research

studying people in natural settings

Participant observation

researcher joins the group being studied

Secondary data analysis

using existing data

Ethics / Code of ethics

rules to protect participants (consent, privacy, no harm)

Positivist approach

objective, scientific, quantitative

Interpretive apprach

understanding meaning, qualitative

Durkheim’s connection

used scientific method in his suicide study (variables, data)

Weber’s connection

pushed verstehen (interpretive approach, meaning)

Marx’s connection

challenged “common sense”, tied research to social inequality

Martineau’s connection

early observer, stressed ethics and gender/race in research