Babbie - The Practice of Social Research - Vocab for Ch 1, 2, & 3

agreement reality

those things we "know" as part and parcel of the culture we share with those around us

attributes

characteristics of people or things

deduction

the logical model in which specific expectations of hypotheses are developed on the basis of general principles

dependent variable

a variable assumed to depend on or be caused by another (called the independent variable)

epistemology

the science of knowing; systems of knowledge

idiographic

an approach to explanation in which we seek to exhaust the idiosyncratic causes of a particular condition or event

independent variable

a variable with values that are not problematic in an analysis but are taken as simply given; presumed to cause or determine a dependent variable

induction

the logical model in which general principles are developed from specific observations

methodology

the science of finding out; procedures for scientific investigation

nomothetic

an approach to explanation in which we seek to identify a few causal factors that generally impact a class of conditions or events

replication

repeating a research study to test and either confirm or question the findings of an earlier study

theory

a systematic explanation for the observations that relate to a particular aspect of life

tolerance for ambiguity

the ability to hold conflicting ideas in your mind simultaneously, without denying or dismissing any of them

variables

logical sets of attributes

paradigm

a model or frame of reference through which to observe and understand

macrotheory

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

microtheory

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

positivism

introduced by Auguste Compte; this philosophical system is grounded on the rational proof/disproof of scientific assertions; assumes a knowable, objective reality

conflict paradigm

a paradigm that views human behavior as attempts to dominate others or avoid being dominated by others

symbolic interactionism

a paradigm that views human behavior as the creation of meaning through social interactions, with those meanings conditioning subsequent interactions

structural functionalism

a paradigm that divides social phenomena into parts, each of which serves a function for the operation of the whole

feminist paradigms

paradigms that (1) view and understand society through the experiences of women and/or (2) examine the generally deprived status of women in society

critical race theory

a paradigm grounded in race awareness and an intention to achieve racial justice

interest convergence

the thesis that majority group members will only support the interests of minorities when those actions also support the interests of the majority group

postmodernism

a paradigm that questions the assumptions of positivism and theories describing an "objective" reality

critical realism

a paradigm that holds things are real insofar as they produce effects

hypothesis

a specified testable expectation about empirical reality that follows from a more general proposition; more generally, an expectation about the nature of things derived from a theory; it is a statement of something that ought to be observed in the real world if the theory is correct

operationalization

one step beyond conceptualization; the process of developing operational definitions, or specifying the exact operations involved in measuring a variable

operational definition

the concrete and specific definition of something in terms of the operations by which observations are to be categorized

null hypothesis

in connection with hypothesis testing and tests of statistical significance, that hypothesis that suggests there is no relationship among the variables under study; you may conclude that the variables are related after having statistically rejected the null hypothesis

big data

extremely large data sets generated through the automatic monitoring of ongoing processes

informed consent

a norm in which subjects base their voluntary participation in research projects on a full understanding of the possible risks involved

anonymity

achieved in a research project when neither the researchers nor the readers of the findings can identify a given response with a given respondent

confidentiality

a research project guarantees confidentiality when the researcher can identify a given person's responses but promises not to do so publicly

debriefing

interviewing subjects to learn about their experience of participation in the project; especially important if there's a possibility that they have been damaged by that participation

empirical

based on actual observation

research

the process of finding solutions to a problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors; careful, patient, and methodical inquiry done according to certain rules

errors in inquiry

inaccurate observations, overgeneralization, selective observation, illogical reasoning

classical dialectics

logical discourse between 2 or more people holding different views about a subject to establish the truth through reasoned argumentation

Hegelian dialectical thinking

thesis -> antithesis -> synthesis; an apparent contradiction or paradox resolved b a 3rd way of thinking about it

basic research

generates a body of knowledge; deeper understanding is useful for its own sake as well as later application

applied research

solves a current problem; program evaluation

theoretical framework

identifies variables considered relevant; how two or more variables are related; nature and direction of the relationship; clear argument about why there should be a relationship

association hypothesis

can specify a supportive/same direction (+) or inverse (-) relationship

difference hypothesis

a statement that two or more groups (or the same group on more than one occasion) differ with respect to characteristic

directional hypothesis

include the proposed direction of relationship

non-directional hypothesis

proposes a difference between two variables, but not the direction

multidisciplinarity

refers to a process whereby researchers in different disciplines work independently or sequentially, each from his or her own discipline-specific perspective, to address a common problem

interdisciplinarity

process in which researchers work jointly, but from each of their respective disciplinary perspectives, to address a common problem

transdisciplinarity

process by which researchers work jointly to develop and use a shared conceptual framework that draws together discipline-specific theories, concepts, and methods to address a common problem

non-malfeasance

do no harm; prevent serious risk of physical or psychological harm

beneficence

do good; does the importance and potential benefit of the study outweigh the risks?

justice

be fair; any risks and benefits should be equal to all individuals and groups

minimal risk

the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests