Studied by 0 people
SOCI 1301
Debunking
unmasking of fallacies in the everyday and official interpretations of society
Normative approach
uses religion, law, customs, and traditions to answer important questions
Empirical approach
answers questions through systematic collection and analysis of data
Deductive approach
begins with a theory and uses research to test the theory
Inductive approach
starts with data collection and generates a theory based on the analysis of data
Quantitative research
measured numerically; goal is scientific objectivity
Qualitative research
uses interpretative description rather than statistics to analyze meaning and patterns of social relationships
The quantitative research model
select and define the research problem; review previous research; formulate the hypothesis; develop the research design; collect and analyze data
Hypothesis
a tentative statement of the relationship between two or more concepts
Independent variable
presumed to cause or determine the dependent variable
Population
persons about whom we want to be able to draw conclusions
Random sampling
when every member of a population has the same chance of being selected
Probability sampling
when participants are deliberately chosen because they have specific characteristics
The qualitative research model
begins with a general approach (not a highly detailed plan); researcher decides when the literature review and theory application should take place; study presents a detailed view of the topic; access to other people or resources that provide necessary data is crucial; appropriate data collection is needed
Research methods
specific strategies or techniques for systematically conducting research
Survey
a poll where the researcher gathers facts or attempts to determine the relationships among fates
Survey: respondents
people who provide data for analysis
Survey: questionnaires
printed research instruments containing a series of items to which subjects respond
Survey: interviews
a form of data collection where an interviewer asks the respondents questions and records the answers
Secondary analysis
when researchers use existing material and analyze data
Field research
the study of social life in its natural setting
Field research: participant observations
collecting systematic observations while being part of the activities of the group that the researcher is studying
Field research: case studies
an in-depth investigation of a single event, person, or social grouping
Field research: ethnography
a detailed study of the life and activities of a group of people
Field research: unstructured interviews
an extended, open-ended interaction between an interviewer and an interviewee
Experiments
carefully designed situations in which the researcher studies the impact of certain variables on subjects’ attitudes or behavior
Experiments: experimental group
contains the subjects who are exposed to an independent variable to study the effect on them
Experiments: control group
the subjects who are not exposed to the independent variable
Correlation
when 2 variables are associated more frequently than could be expected by chance
Spurious correlation
the association of 2 variables that is actually caused by a 3rd variable
Triangulation
the use of multiple methods (data collection, sources, investigators, perspectives) in one study
The Zellner Research: what did he study?
autocide (suicide by automobile)
Social network analysis
investigates complex relationships such as friendship ties among Facebook users
Geographic information system (GIS)
computer system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial or geographical data
