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Objectivity
Personal neutrality in conducting research.
Value-free research
Sociologists remain dispassionate and detached.
Replication
Repetition of research by other investigators.
Research process
Collecting data to test or generate theories.
Theory
Explanation for phenomena providing insights.
Inductive reasoning
Specific observations lead to general theories.
Deductive reasoning
General theories lead to specific hypotheses.
Qualitative research
In-depth descriptive studies in natural settings. Provide rich data about the social world. Typically smaller population size and cannot be generalized to the broader population.
Quantitative research
Analysis involving numerical data and statistics. Helps us describe and better understand empirical social realities . Not as indepth as qualitative research
Population
Entire group being studied in research.
Sample
Subset of the population representing the whole.
Random sample
Sample drawn so every element has equal chance.
Dependent variable
Variable that changes in response to another.
Independent variable
Variable that causes change in another variable.
Causal relationship
One variable directly influences another variable.
Correlation
Indication that one factor may influence another.
Spurious correlation
When two variables appear to be related, but have different causes.
Use control variables to avoid spuriousness
What is the focus of positivist sociology?
Action and systematic observation of behavior
What type of data does positivist sociology favor?
Quantitative data
Where is positivist sociology best suited for research?
Laboratory settings
What is interpretive sociology?
Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world and emphasizes understanding the meaning that people create in their everyday lives.
What does interpretive sociology focus on?
Interpretive sociology focuses on the understanding of actions and claims that reality is subjective.
What methods does interpretive sociology favor?
Interpretive sociology often uses personal interviews and field research, and favors qualitative data over quantitative data.
What is critical sociology?
The study of society that focuses on the need for social change.
What is the Social Conflict Approach in sociology?
It is an approach that developed in reaction to perceived limitations of positivist sociology and rejects the idea that society exists as a natural system with a fixed order.
What is the dual purpose of sociology according to critical sociology?
Sociology is not only meant for research but also for changing society.
Hawthorne effect
Behavior change due to awareness of being studied.
Field research
Study of social life in natural settings.
Participant observation
Researcher engages in activities of the group.
Case study
In-depth analysis of a specific event or group.
Secondary analysis
Analyzing data collected by others.
Content analysis
Systematic examination of cultural artifacts.
What are experiments?
Carefully designed situations to study variable effects.
What is the experimental group?
Subjects who are exposed to the independent variable.
What is the control group?
Subjects who are not exposed to the independent variable.
Causation
Change in one variable caused by another.
Temporal priority
One event occurs before another in causation.
Unobtrusive measures
Research methods that do not disturb subjects.
Research ethics
Moral principles guiding sociological research.
Concept
A mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form
Ethnography
Detailed study of life and activities of a group of people over a period of years
Variable
a concept whos value changes from case to case
Measurement
A procedure for determining the value of a variable
What are the four primary factors when deciding which method to use?
Access to resources, access to subjects, purpose of the research, the researchers background or training
Gender is sociological research
Gender is influential so researchers take steps to prevent it from biasing their findings
Interviewer Bias
effects of interviewers on respondents that lead to biased answers
Brajuha Research
Mario Brajuha was doing participant observation, He lost his job as a waiter when the restaurant burned down. He didn't show his notes because of confidentiality
Humphreys Research
misleading subjects--ethics. lookout for homosexual encounters, id'd license plates and asked participants questions
How do research and theory work together?
Both are essential, every theory must be tested, which requires research
