Transcript Sociological Research Methods PPt

Sociologists Doing Research
What are the basics of effective
research?
Grasping Lois Benjamin’s study
of Sheba…
• Looking at the personal as well as
social..
Basics of Sociological
Investigation..
• 1. Apply the “sociological perspective”
• 2. Be curious and ask questions
• 3. Consider different forms of “truth”
- “belief” or “faith”
- expert opinion
- simple agreement between people
- scientific, empirical evidence
Common Sense vs Scientific
Evidence
• Examples to consider..
- “Poor people are more likely than rich people to
break the law”
- “The US is a middle-class society in which most
people are more or less equal”
- “Most poor people don’t want to work”
- “Differences in the behavior of females and males
are just human nature”
- “People change as they grow old, losing many
interests as they focus on their health”
- “Most people marry because they are in love”
Ways to “Do Sociology”..
• 1. Scientific
• 2. Interpretive
• 3. Critical
Basics of Scientific Sociology..
• Concepts – for description (ie. family)
• Variable – concept that changes from
case to case
• Measurement – procedure for
determining the value of a variable
• Operationalize a variable
• Reliability and Validity
More on Scientific Sociology..
• Cause and Effect
• - Independent Variable – causes change
• - Dependent Variable – variable that changes
• - Correlation – relationship in which two variables
change together
• - Spurious correlation – apparent, but false
relationship b/t two or more variables
• - Control – holding variable(s) constant
• Ideal of Objectivity
• Replication
Limits of Scientific Sociology..
• Human behavior is too complex..
(example)
• Presence of a researcher may affect
behavior.
• Social patterns change..
• Sociologists are not “value-free”
Now, Interpretive Sociology
• Focus on meaning people attach to their
social world.
- focus on meaning attached to actions
- focus on reality constructed by individuals
- favors “qualitative” over “quantitative” data
Weber’s concept of “Verstehen” is key
And, Critical Sociology..
• Karl Marx contributed..
• Focus on need for “social change”
• Sociology as “politics”
Three Research Orientations in
Sociology..(page 38)
• A helpful guide that helps explain the
common connections between
theoretical perspectives and research
methods.
Gender and Research…
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Androcentricity
Overgeneralizing
Gender blindness
Double Standards
Interference
Research Ethics..
• Yes, there are ethics to consider..
1.Being skillful and fair-minded
2.No harm done to subjects.
3.Funding sources disclosed.
4.Fed Govt. Funding? – reviewed.
5.Consider cultural specifics –
Offensive?
Methods of Sociological
Research?
• Testing a Hypothesis – Experiment.
1. Specify the variable assumed to cause
change and variable changed.
2. Measure initial value of dependent
variable.
3. Expose dependent variable to independent
variable.
4. Attempt to control other variables.
5. Again measure dependent variable to see
what change took place.
The Hawthorne Effect
• Examples from “Country Boys”?
Zimbardo’s “Stanford Prison
Experiment”
Survey Research
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Survey
Population
Sample
Questionnaire – w/ closed-ended format
or open-ended format
• Interview
In the Field: Participant
Observation
• Participant Observation
• “Street Corner Society”
Using Available Data : Existing
Sources
• “A Tale of Two Cities”
• Use of existing census data, school
data, etc.
Ten Steps in Sociological
Investigation..
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1. What is your topic?
2. What have others learned?
3. What are your questions?
4. What will you need to carry out research?
5. Ethical concerns?
6. What methods will be used?
7. How will data be recorded?
8. What do the data tell you?
9. What are your conclusions?
10. How can you share what you’ve learned?
Identifying Causation?
Real World Example…
• John Lott’s book, article & challenge
Common Procedures and
Ethics of Sociological Research
• Scientific Method (steps)
• Sociological Code of Ethics
• Review p. 58
Examples and Evaluation…
• Sleep for Teens and the School Day
article
• Zogby Election Polls in New Hampshire
• “Country Boys” on Frontline
What is Culture and how is
it formed?
Culture defined
Society
Instincts
Reflexes and drives
Nature vs. Nurture debate
Sociobiology
How does language help
create culture?
• Symbols link link
• Sapir – Whorf Hypothesis of
linguistic relativity
How do norms and values
help to shape culture?
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Norms
“Hidden Rules”
Folkways
Mores
Taboo
Laws (outdated and silly laws)
Formal Sanctions
Informal Sanctions
Values as basis for Norms
Looking Ahead to Chap 4 The term…Socialization
• Defined -> The cultural process of
learning to participate in group life.
• Examples….
How About the Voluntary
Student Transfer Program?
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Should it Continue?
Who should pay?
What are the benefits?
Drawbacks?
http://www.4teachers.org/
How do beliefs and materials
shape culture?
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Beliefs
Material Culture
Ideal Culture
Real Culture
How do Cultural Diversity and
Similarities influence social
relations?
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Social Categories
Subculture
Counterculture link link
Ethnocentrism
Cultural Universals
Cultural Particulars