Foundations of Social Research, Protocol Delimitation, and Methodological Congruence

Vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental concepts, research scopes, paradigms, protocol rules, delimitation filters, reasoning methods, and methodological tools from Units 1, 2, and 3.

Social Research

A systematic, critical, and empirical process applied to the study of social phenomena (Hernández et al., 2014).

Doxa

Unsupported common sense, personal opinions, or social rumors.

Episteme

Well-founded, empirically verified scientific knowledge.

Systematic Research

Research that follows an ordered, logical, and planned sequence of steps rather than gathering data randomly.

Empirical Research

Research grounded in observable, documented evidence gathered directly from social reality.

Critical Research

Research that continuously questions initial assumptions, personal biases, and explanations to verify whether evidence actually supports them.

Situated Research

Social research that does not occur in abstract neutrality, but is embedded within a specific geographic location, historical period, and cultural context.

Relevance (Pillar of Situated Research)

The principle that research must address a meaningful, real-world issue responding directly to the needs of the investigated context.

Feasibility (Pillar of Situated Research)

The assessment of what is practically possible regarding available time, financial resources, access to information, and safety in a research context.

Community Ethics (Pillar of Situated Research)

The principle that research must avoid being purely "extractive" by respectfully returning generated knowledge to strengthen the local community's social fabric.

Exploratory Scope

Research scope used when a topic or phenomenon is brand new or scarcely studied to map the terrain and identify key aspects for future investigation.

Descriptive Scope

Research scope used to profile, measure, and detail the characteristics, frequencies, or rates of a social phenomenon as it currently appears.

Explanatory Scope

Research scope that examines cause-and-effect relationships to explain why a phenomenon occurs or why differences exist between groups.

Participatory Action Scope

Research scope that directly involves affected community members as co-researchers to analyze a shared problem and implement practical solutions together.

Paradigm

A worldview or frame of reference that establishes basic premises about what reality is and how it should be studied (Hernández et al., 2014).

Positivist Paradigm

A paradigm that views reality as single, objective, and measurable, prioritizing neutral observation, quantitative data, and statistical patterns.

Interpretative Paradigm

A paradigm that views reality as multiple and subjective, constructed through human interaction, seeking to understand how participants give meaning to their personal experiences and feelings.

Critical Paradigm

A paradigm focusing on how reality is shaped by power dynamics, historical inequalities, and social structures, with an explicit goal of social transformation, equity, and empowerment.

Research Protocol

The formal document describing the fundamental elements of research intended to be carried out, functioning like a scientific business plan to secure approval or funding (Arias, 2012).

Grammar Rule of Science

The rule stating that a research protocol must always be written in the future tense ("will be measured," "will be analyzed," "will be documented") because it represents a binding commitment to future work.

Delimitation

The process of "fencing the problem" so it does not escape, making the study manageable within actual research conditions (Baena, 2017).

Spatial Filter

A delimitation filter specifying the exact geographic location where the study will take place.

Temporal Filter

A delimitation filter specifying the timeframe covered by the research study.

Demographic Filter

A delimitation filter defining the specific population group or participants included in the study.

Mirror Rule

The principle that the Research Question and the General Objective are identical in content and differ only in phrasing, where the question expresses doubt and the objective uses an infinitive verb to state the knowledge action (Bernal, 2010).

General Objective

A statement using an infinitive verb that expresses the concrete knowledge action required to resolve the doubt stated in the research question.

Specific Objectives

Supporting objectives that each contribute a distinct step toward achieving the General Objective.

Social Relevance (Justification Criteria)

A justification criterion explaining who benefits from research findings and how it impacts people affected by the issue (Ackoff & Miller Criteria).

Practical Utility or Theoretical Value

A justification criterion explaining what real-world problem a study helps solve or what gap in scientific understanding it clarifies (Ackoff & Miller Criteria).

Quantitative Hypothesis

A tentative proposition formulated before data collection proposing a measurable cause-and-effect relationship between variables in the form: IF [Cause / Independent Variable] THEN [Effect / Dependent Variable].

Qualitative Assumptions

Flexible assumptions used in qualitative research to guide understanding of experiences or meanings without imposing rigid numerical predictions.

Experimental Design

A design where the researcher intentionally manipulates one or more independent variables under controlled conditions to measure direct effects on dependent variables (Kerlinger & Lee, 2002; Baena, 2017).

Non-Experimental Design

A design where the researcher observes phenomena as they naturally occur in their real-world context without deliberate manipulation, then analyzes the data.

Deductive Reasoning

Top-down logical reasoning that begins with a general principle or theory and examines its specific implications in a particular case.

Inductive Reasoning

Bottom-up logical reasoning that identifies recurring patterns in specific observations to construct broader general conclusions or theories.

Analytical Reasoning

Reasoning that breaks down a complex phenomenon into its individual component parts to study each element separately.

Synthetic Reasoning

Reasoning that integrates separate, dispersed elements into a coherent, holistic understanding of the whole.

Comparative Reasoning

Reasoning that confronts two or more cases or groups using common criteria to identify similarities and differences.

Historical Reasoning

Reasoning that traces the origins, transformations, and trajectory of a phenomenon across time to understand its present state.

Research Toolbox

The articulated set of strategies, procedures, and material resources used to collect and analyze data, which is dictated by the research problem.

Research Technique

An operational procedure used for gathering data, such as a survey, interview, or observation.

Research Instrument

A physical or digital tool or recording format used to record gathered data, such as a closed questionnaire or open-ended script.

Study Subject

The individual or unit whose characteristics are being investigated in a study.

Population ($N$)

The complete set of units meeting defined criteria in a research study.

Sample ($n$)

A manageable subset drawn from a population when studying every member is impractical.