Soc. Research Method -- Exam 4

qualitative research

1. capture/discover meaning once the research becomes immersed in data

2. concepts are in the form of themes, generalizations, taxonomies

3. measures are created in an ad hoc manner and often specific to individual setting or research

4. data are in the form of words from documents, observations, transcripts, etc.

5. theory can be casual or non-casual and replication is very rare

6. analysis proceeds by extracting themes or generalizations from evidence and organizing data to present a cohort, consistent picture

quantitative research

1. observes events and everyday activities as they happen in natural setting plus unusual occurrences

2. is directly involved sometimes

3. acquires an insider’s POV while maintaining analytical perspective of distance of an outsider

4. uses variety of techniques and social skills in a flexible manner as the situation demands

5. produces data in form of extensive written notes as well as diagrams, maps, pictures to provide detailed descriptions

6. see events holistically and individuals in social context

7. understands and develops empathy for members in a field setting and doesn’t just record “cold” objective facts

8. notice explicit and tacit aspects of culture

9. observes ongoing social processes w/o upsetting, disrupt, or imposing outside POV

10. capable of coping w/ high level stress

field research steps

1. Prep. oneself, read literature, defocus - want to put ourselves back in this space

2. select field(s) and gain access (gatekeepers) - had a # of sites he had access to; needs help from others to get in

3. Enter field and establish social relations w/ members/subjects - have to get involved and connected

4. Adopt a role, learn the ropes, and get along with numbers/subjects -

5. Watch, listen, and collect quality data

   1. what to observe

   2. taking notes

6. analyzing data, generalizing files, and evaluating working hypothesis - separating files to see the patterns develop in writing, etc.

   1. physically leave the setting and complete analysis

7. The final product is often a book or monograph because there is so much rich data to talk about

   1. ethical concerns - can’t replicate

   2. replication challenges

thick description

In field research - reflective of the type of data you saw

key informant

in field research - person who will help you get what you want — man on the inside gets you access

grounded theory

starts w/ induction

defocusing

researcher REMOVES past assumption & preconceptions to become more open to events in field sites

gatekeeper

individuals who control access to the system

• Ex: police, lawyers, courts, etc.

going native

undercover cop gone bad - when you lose the point and effect their behavior

deviant cases sampling

• non-random

• the people who do the negative evidence

• eg→ instead of vegetarians it’s MEAT eaters

negative evidence

data collected in opposite of what you’re studying/what you’re trying to learn

unobtrusive research

data collected WITHOUT knowledge/participation of participants

nonreactive research

secondary data →direct contact does NOT influence subject’s behavior

erosion measures

our behavior destroys things overtime

accretion measures

stuff we left behind

• portraits, cars, houses, etc.

content analysis

Def.:

• research methods where data are collected w/o contact humans

  • social behavior leaves behind evidence

  • we study this evidence

• Erosion

  • the “weird” concrete path on the circle in front of Irby

• Accretion measures

  • portraits, cars, etc…

existing statistics

can use it to elaborate to give additional information to lit review

• Pros:

  • can add context for your reader

  • source of your data

• Cons:

  • going to have to search a lot

  • time consuming

secondary data analysis

• def: using other people’s data for our research/analysis

  • Ex: her using data from someone else’s

  • Pros:

    • faster

    • cheaper

    • clean

  • Cons:

    • using someone else’s data set

    • may not be the same way you’d operationalize questions

      • stuck w/ sample

Big Data

record of data (google, Insta, etc.)

manifest coding

how long to measure

• frequency

• space

latent coding

underlying/subtle messages (infer)

• direction

• intensity

recoding or tally sheets

example: cartoons

• age (IV) and technology (DV)

  • classifying characters

replication

repeat essence of research w/ different participants in different situations→ see if it extends to other participants

measures of association

strength of association and direction of association

chi square

how independent your two variables are to each other

• works from the Null Hypothesis

Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient

xy - positive if say direction

xy - negative if facing opposite directions

• codes must match

p<.05

probability that the relationship you found being due to standard error is less than 5x in 100

contingency tables

2 rows & 2 columns to present categorical data in terms of frequency counts

bivariate analyses

has two variables that are related

• looking at how they’re related

  • Ex: how education impacts violence

multivariate analyses

involves examining how three variables or more work together

• often we explain how the IV impacts the DV while controlling for the 3rd variable

null hypothesis

says there is no relationship

crosstab

display results of entire group of respondents & results from specifically defined subgroups

computer-assisted qualitative data analysis

assist qual. analyses→create,apply, & refine categories→trace link b/ween concepts & compare cases/events

Describe the steps in field research, taking notes, & creating files.

1. pseudonyms - fake names/made up

2. negative evidence - study group “A” and the opposite grp “Z”

3. record immediately - as quickly as you can so you don’t have to rely on memory

4. take notes and fill in later

5. record direct quotes

6. maps, diagrams, etc. - context; map of SC and Cafeteria

7. Be as precise as possible - may be weeks/months/years later before you write paper

8. record time, temp, small talk, etc.

What are the strengths & weaknesses of field research (especially compared to survey and experiment)?

Strengths:

1. examine process overtime

2. get a huge depth of info

3. very flexible

4. relatively inexpensive/ most timely expenses

5. validity is high

6. less of a Hawthorne effect/social desirability effect

Weaknesses:

1. not precise

2. conclusion ius suggestive, not definitive

3. reliability law

4. hard to generalize finding

5. time w/ them

What are the differences between complete participant, participant-as-observer, observer-as-participant, and complete observer roles?

1. Complete (covert) participant

   1. Ex: don’t know

   2. Laude Humphrey’s Tearoom Trade

2. Participant Observer (Overt participation)

   1. Ex: do know

   2. Caution: Going native - undercover cop gone bad, when you lose the point — can’t affect their behavior

3. Observe as participant (overt observer)

   1. Ex: do know

   2. Dr. Shepard studying religions/cults (the Family Inc.)

4. Complete (covert) Observer

   1. Ex: don’t know

   2. No contact

      1. sitting in car and watching people go in and out, etc.

         1. Who are they?

   3. No legitimate role

What are the differences between a personal interview and a field research interview?

• Survey interviews are very structured and has clear beginnings and ends.

• Field research is conversational and there isn’t a clear beginning or end.

What are some ethical concerns associated with field work?

• ability to protect identity of subject

• deceiving subjects

What are the steps to content analysis?

1) elaborate research q/hypothesis

2) define boundaries

3) select sample method

4) unit of analysis

5) construct categories of content

6) establish quantification system

7) train coders & conduct pilot study

8( code content

9) analyze data

10) draw conclusion

What are the steps to secondary data analysis?

1) define research topic

2) statement of purpose

3)design research process

4) locate & collect 2ndary data

5) evaluate 2ndary data

What are the advantages/disadvantages of unobtrusive research?

Advantages:

1. non-reactive

2. cheaper/quicker

3. going to be easy to replicate

4. can see changes over time

Disadvantages

1. who recorded info. and why

2. may violate privacy laws

3. sources of data are hard to generalize back to population

4. can be very tedious and time consuming

What do measures of association tell us?

• relationship b/ween 2v

• strength of relationship

• direction

What statistic is appropriate for various levels of measurement?

Ratio

What does the level of significance tell us?

null hypothesis is accepted or rejected