Download The Social Sciences: Sociology

Women’s Studies
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Women’s Studies
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First Wave Feminism
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Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792)
A Vindication of the Rights
of Women is one of the first
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written works to be called
feminist
Suffragette Movement
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Women’s Studies

First Wave Feminism

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
Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792) A Vindication of
the Rights of Women is one of the first written
works to be called feminist
Suffragette Movement
The World Wars
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Nontraditional jobs
Women’s professional sports
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Backlash!
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Women’s Studies
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Second Wave Feminism
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Fighting for full equality
Fighting for control over own body
More powerful in regards to voting, financial
issues, education and power
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What is feminism?
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Feminism is:
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A belief in equality for all people
Men’s and women’s positions in society are
based on social institutions and social attitudes
Because of these structural inequalities,
feminists believe in transforming society on
behalf of women
Women’s experiences, concerns, and ideas are
as valuable as men’s
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Research Methods in the
Social Sciences
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Scientific Method
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Best way yet discovered for separating
truth from untruth
Check your book for steps in the
scientific method
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Types of Research
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Basic research
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Applied research
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Seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge
Seeking solutions to practical problems
Program evaluation
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Does a social program work?
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Research Methods
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Nonexperimental
Methods:
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Archival research
Naturalistic observation
Surveys
Case studies
Correlational research
Experimental Method
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Advantages
Describe and predict
behavior
Useful when ethical
considerations prevent
true experimentation
Causality
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Nonexperimental Methods
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Archival research
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Naturalistic observation
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Comb existing records to test a hypothesis
Observe a naturally occurring behavior
Survey research

A sample from a population are asked questions
about behavior, attitudes, or thoughts
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Nonexperimental Methods
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Case Studies
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Intensive investigation of an individual or a
small group of people
Correlational Research
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Relationships between two factors are
investigated
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Correlational Research
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Strength of a relationship is represented by
a mathematical score

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Ranges from +1.0 to -1.0
Absolute value signifies strength of relationship
Sign signifies nature of the relationship
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Correlational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by
a mathematical score

+1.0 – Perfect positive correlation
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Correlational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by
a mathematical score

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+1.0 – Perfect positive correlation
-1.0 – Perfect negative correlation
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Correlational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by
a mathematical score

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+1.0 – Perfect positive correlation
-1.0 – Perfect negative correlation
0.0 – No correlation = No relationship!
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Correlational Research
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Correlational Research
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Interpreting Correlations

A large-scale study of contraceptive use in
Taiwan found that people who had more
electrical appliances in their homes were
more likely to use birth control.
Does this mean that toasters
cause people to use birth control?
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Interpreting Correlations
Correlation ≠ Causation!
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Interpreting Correlations
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When we find a correlation between two
variables A and B, there are three possible
explanations:
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Change in A may cause change in B
Change in B may cause change in A
Change in C may cause change in both A and B
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Interpreting Correlations
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A college professor notices that the farther
students sit toward the back of the room,
the worse their grades in the course seem
to be.
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Interpreting Correlations
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A survey of adolescents being treated for
eating disorders noted that those who
watched the most TV during the week
tended to get the lowest ratings on a
measure of general health.
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Interpreting Correlations
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Correlations allow us to describe
relationships
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Describes how two variables change together,
on average, in a large group of individuals
Correlations allow us to predict
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Stronger correlations allow for stronger
predictions
Predictions are never perfect!
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Experimental Research
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Investigates causal relationships between
factors
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Deliberately induce change in one factor and
observe the effect that change has on other
factors
Variable:
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Event or behavior that can assume at least two
values
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Experimental Research
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Independent variable (IV)
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The variable the experimenter manipulates
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Physiological
Experience
Environmental
Participant characteristics are often treated as IVs
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Experimental Research
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Dependent Variable (DV)
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The variable that is measured
 Can be measured lots of ways:
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Number correct
Frequency
Amount
Duration
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Manipulation, Comparison,
and Control
Manipulate
IV
DV
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Manipulation, Comparison,
and Control
Compare
IV
DV
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Manipulation, Comparison,
and Control
Control
IV
DV
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Manipulation, Comparison,
and Control
Control
IV
DV
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Random Assignment
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Individuals have an equal chance of being in
the treatment condition as in the control
condition
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The Beauty of Random Assignment
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Allows the experimenter to assume the
groups are roughly equivalent prior to
administering the IV
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Any external factors that might influence an
experiment should be distributed equally in both
the treatment and control groups
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The Beauty of Random Assignment
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Groups may differ in an important way
just by chance
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Statistical procedures tell us likelihood that
results are meaningful
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Key Elements of True Experiments
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An independent variable
A dependent variable
Random assignment of subjects to different
levels of the IV
A concrete hypothesis of how the IV should
affect the DV
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Cumulative Nature of Science
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An experiment or nonexperimental study
can answer only a few, very specific
questions
Our confidence in scientific findings
increases as:
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Results are replicated
Findings from related studies converge on the
same conclusion
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