chapter 2

Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc.

YouMay Ask YourselfCore Third EditionDalton Conley


YouMay Ask YourselfThird EditionDalton Conley


Chapter2

MethodsMethods

2Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc.

Paradox


Research Methods• Research methods are standard rules that social

scientists follow when trying to establish a causal relationship between social elements.

Quantitative methods seek to obtain information about the social world that is in, or can be converted to, numeric form.

Qualitative methods attempt to collect information about the social world that cannot be readily converted to numeric form.


Approaches to Research

• A deductive approach to research:1) starts with a theory.2)develops a hypothesis.3) makes empirical observations.4)analyzes the data collected

through observation to confirm, reject, or modify the original theory.


Approaches to Research

• An inductive approach to research: 1) starts with empirical observation.2) then works to form a theory.3) determines if a correlation exists

by noticing if a change is observed in two things simultaneously.


Causality vs. Correlation

• Causality is the idea that a change in one factor results in a corresponding change in another factor.


Causality vs. Correlation

• Sociologists conduct research to try to prove causation.

• To prove causation, correlation and time order are established and alternative explanations are ruled out.


Variables – What Are We Studying?• A dependent variable is the outcome

that a researcher is trying to explain.• An independent variable is a measured

factor that the researcher believes has a causal impact on the dependent variable.


The Hypothesis• A hypothesis is a proposed relationship

between two variables, represented by either the null hypothesis or an alternative hypothesis.


What Makes “Good” Research?• Good research should be valid, reliable,

and generalizable:– Validity: does the study measure what it

is intended to measure?– Reliability: if you conduct the study

again, will you get the same results?– Generalizability: will the findings of this

study apply to some other population or group of people?


How Feminist Methodology Is Different• Feminist methodology

– treats women’s experiences as legitimate empirical and theoretical resources.

– promotes social science that may bring about policy change to help women.

– is as conscious of the role of the researcher as that of the subjects being studied.


Types of Data Collection

• Types of data collection used in social research:– participant observation– interviews– survey research– comparative research– experimentation– content analysis– historical methods


Interview

Mitchell Duneier


Interview

Duncan Watts


Ethics of Social Research• Researchers must meet codified

standards, which are set by professional associations, academic institutions, or research centers, when conducting studies.

• Researchers must guard against causing physical, emotional, or psychological harm to their subjects.


Ethics of Social Research• Informed consent and voluntary

participation are guidelines researchers use to ensure subjects know they are participating in a study and have voluntarily chosen to participate.


What Do We Do with Sociological Research?• Public sociology refers to the practice

of using sociological research, teaching, and service to reach a wider (not solely academic) audience and to influence society.


Concept Quiz1. Which of the following describes the deductive

approach to research?a) A researcher makes empirical observations, and based

on these observations, he or she develops a theory.b) A researcher develops several hypotheses to explain a

correlation he or she has observed between two factors.

c) A researcher establishes causation and then develops a theory to explain it.

d) A researcher starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes observations, and then analyzes the data to confirm, reject, or refine the original theory.


Concept Quiz2. What is a moderating variable?

a) a factor that is positioned between the independent and dependent variables but does not affect the relationship between them

b) a factor that affects only the independent variable in a hypothesis

c) a factor that can replace the dependent variable in a hypothesis

d) a factor that affects the relationship between the independent and dependent variables


Concept Quiz3. A thermometer that consistently gives

readings that are five degrees cooler than the actual temperature is _____.

a) valid but not reliableb) reliable but not valid c) neither reliable nor validd) both reliable and valid


Concept Quiz4. Which of the following data collection

methods are commonly used in social research?

a) comparative studies, surveys, interviewsb) historical methods, participant observation,

case studiesc) natural experiment, double-blind study,

comparative researchd) content analysis, census, panel survey


Concept Quiz5. Social research that tries to engage a

nonacademic audience and influence society is often referred to as _______.

a) public sociologyb) macrosociologyc) feminist sociologyd) qualitative sociology


Discussion Questions1. What is the best research methodology to

do this study?a) participant observationb) interviewsc) survey researchd) comparative researche) experimentationf) content analysisg) historical methods


Discussion Questions2. Much research is done on college

campuses with college undergrads as research participants. Do you think this is a problem?

a) Yesb) No

You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like a Sociologist, 3rd Edition Copyright ©2013 W.W. Norton, Inc. 25

Chapter opener


Figure 2.1 The Research Cycle


How did studying lottery winners help sociologists understand the relationship betweenwealth and health?


Figure 2.2 The Charge of Spuriousness


What is the white coat effect? Sociologist Mitch Duneier (center), who studied street-side bookvendors for his book Sidewalk, talks with a police officer. To see an interview with Duneiergo to wwnorton.com/studyspace.


Volunteer Phyllis Evans (center) questions a homeless man about his living situation andencourages him to seek help while conducting a survey with team members in New York City.


Census taker talking with Charles F. Piper as he works on his car.


Feminist sociologist France Winddance Twine (right) interviews Sharon Elizabeth Dawkins for anethnography on interracial intimacy.


Figure 2.3 The Research Process


Three young women study in San Jose Juvenile Hall in California. How did data from LynneHaney’s participant observation challenge conventional wisdom about the experience of youngwomen in the juvenile justice system?


Children of a plantation sharecropper preparing food on a wood stove in a sparsely furnished shackin 1936. How did Jill Quadagno use historical methods to analyze the ways that people like thesechildren were excluded from the benefits of the New Deal?


Greek miners seeking work in the German Ruhr Basin in 1960 after West Germany began a guestworker program. What did Roger Brubaker’s comparative research about European immigrationpolicies reveal about definitions of citizenship?


Judith Stacey at a gay rights rally in Colorado. How is her research an example of public sociology?

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Chapter 2 Methods

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chapter 2

Education

good research

social world

social scientists

social science

social elements

quantitative methods

qualitative methods

correlation causality