Download Sociological Research

Sociological Research
1. Why is sociological research so
important?
• It is how sociologists obtain their
knowledge of human behaviour
• It allows sociologists to go beyond
common sense and guess work in
understanding society
• It leads to informed understanding of
the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of human social
interaction
2. Five Ways of Knowing
• Personal experience: what we learn for
ourselves
• Tradition: we accept what has always been
believed
• Authority: we accept the judgment of
experts ex. Medicine
• Religion: religious authority based on
scriptures ex. Morality, diet, dress
• Science: involves controlled systematic
observation- tested openly
Definitions:
• Empirical approach: findings are based on the
assumption that knowledge is gained by
direct, systematic observation
• Normative approach: uses religion, tradition
or authority to answer important questions
• Hypothesis: tentative statements of the
relationship between two or more concepts or
variables
• Objective: scientists try to ensure their
biases and values do not affect their
research
Descriptive Studies
• Attempt to describe social reality or
provide facts about some group,
practice or event
• Designed to find out what is happening
to whom, where and when
• Ex: What percent of people would
return a lost wallet
Explanatory Studies
• Attempt to explain relationships and
provide information on why certain
events do or do not occur
• Ex: why are some people more likely
than others to return a lost wallet?
Deductive vs Inductive
Approaches
• Deductive: Researchers begin with a
theory and conduct research to then
prove the theory
• Ex: why do people help others?
• Inductive: Researchers collect
information or data and then generate a
theory from analysis of the data
• Ex: collecting data on helping behaviours
Research Methods (chart)
• Experiments: Carefully designed situation in
which the researcher studies the impact of
certain variables on subjects’ attitudes or
behaviour
• 1. Latane and Darley
• 2. Under what conditions would people be
more likely to help others?
• 3. Set a series of experiments one of which
involved a student faking a seizure to see if
people would help when others were present.
• Surveys: a number of respondents are asked
identical questions through a systematic
questionnaire or interview
• Can be self-administered questionnaires,
personal interviews, telephone interviews
• 1. Richard T Tittmus
• 2. Why would people donate blood to
strangers?
• 3. Gave out questionnaires at a blood donor
clinic.
• Secondary Analysis of Data: Researchers
use existing material and analyze data
originally collected by others, usually for
another purpose
• 1. Pitirim Sorokin
• 2. Wanted to raise awareness of altruistic
behaviour to make the world a better place.
• 3. Looked for examples in letters written to a
radio programme (‘Good Neighbours’) and
‘Lives of the Saints’
• Field Research: the study of social life in its
natural settings: observing, and interviewing
people where they live, work and play.
• 1. Louis Zurcher
• 2. Why do people give their time and take
risks to help others?
• 3. Made observations and did informal
interviews with workers after a tornado in his
home town.
Quantitative Research
• Goal is scientific objectivity
• Tailored to a specific problem to be
investigated
• Focus is on data that can be
measured numerically
Qualitative Research
• Used to analyze underlying meanings and
patterns of social relationships- the
‘how’ ‘what’ and ‘why’
• Uses interpretive description (words)
rather than statistics (numbers)
Definitions:
• Reliability: the extent to which a study or research instrument
yields consistent results
• Validity: the extent to which a study or research instrument
actually measures what it is supposed to measure
• Analysis: the process through which data are organized
• Respondent: persons who provide data for analysis through
interviews or questionnaires
• Reactivity: tendency of participants to change their behaviour
in response to the presence of a researcher or to the fact that
they know they are being studied
• Control Group: subjects in an experiment who are not exposed
to an independent variable
• Variable: any concept with measurable traits or characteristics
that can change or vary from one person, time, situation, or
society to another
Ethical Standards
• 1. Voluntary Participation:
• participants must know they are involvedgive informed consent
• 2. Anonymity and confidentiality:
participants must remain anonymous
• 3. No Harm:
• Participants must not be harmed
psychologically, physically, or personally
The Humphreys Case
• 1970 Laud Humphreys
• Researched ‘tea rooms’, public restrooms in
parks where men would meet to engage in
homosexual acts
• Traced men through their license plates to
learn more about them
• Met the standards
• by not divulging information to the police
• Did not meet the standards
• because his participants were not voluntary
The Ogden Case
• 1992 Russel Ogden
• Studied euthanasia and assisted suicide
in AIDS patients
• Refused to give evidence at a coroner’s
enquiry and was charged with contempt
of court
• Lengthy legal battle, charges dropped
• Met the standards
• Maintained the confidentiality of his
participants
• Note: university added clause to ethics
review policy that stated researches
might have to divulge info to a court or
other legal body