Ch 1 - Doing Social Research Flashcards
Why do people conduct social research?
Learn something new about the social world
Social research def
process in which people combine a set of priniciples, outlooks, and ideas with a collection of specific practices, techniques and strategies to produce knowledge
alternatives to social research: authority - & limtations
think tanks, media personalities
knowledge from parents, teachers, and experts as well as from books tv and media
relying on wisdom of authority - quick simple cheap way to learn something
LIMITATIONS:
1. easy to overestimate expertise of others
2. Authorities may not agree - all authorities not equally dependable
3. authorities may speak on fields they know nothing about, be wrong or try to push agenda
4. Misuse of authority - organizations give appearance of authority so they can convince - Think tanks - organizations composed of a body of experts motivated by advocacy goals or particular way of thinking
alternatives to social research: tradition - && limtations
food bank users
Tradition is authority of the past- way things always been, stereotyping
Even if once true can become distorted as passed on and soon no longer true
alternatives to social research: Common sense - & limtations
Crime is committed by just certain people
Learning about social world from everyday experiences - just makes sense
- Allows illogical fallacies to slip into thinking
- Common sense contains contradictions that often go unnoticed- bc people use ideas at different times
- Common sense can originate in tradition - sometimes correct but also contains errors, misinformation, contradiction and stereotypes
alternatives to social research: media myths - & limtations
. crime is rampant and increasing
Important source of info but don’t accurately reflect social reality
- info as fact when it is opinion
- Create perception that magnitude of a problem is greater than it is
- Misled by visual images more easily
- Competing interests use the media to win public support -
Misinformation
Claims that contradict verifiable scientific facts
Disinformation
False info deliberately propagated to influence public opinion
alternatives to social research: personal experience & limtations
See it or experience it - accept it as true - errors or distortion in judgment
Four errors of personal experience
1. overgeneralization
2. selective observation,
3. premature closure
4. halo effect
Errors of personal experience - overgeneralization
evidence supports belief - assume it applies for other situations too
Errors of personal experience - premature closure
Occurs when you feel you have the answer and do not need to listen, seek info or raise questions any longer
Errors of personal experience - selective observation
take notice of some people or events and see out evidence that confirms what you already believe and ignore contradictory info - confirmation bias
Errors of personal experience - halo effect
we overgeneralize from what we accept as being highly positive or prestigeous and let its favourable impression or prestige rub off onto other areas
Data
Empirical evidence or info that one gathers carefuly according to rules or procedures
Empirical evidence
directly experienced through senses
Basic social research
advances fundamental knowledge about the social world
testing theories that explains how the social world operates
source of most new scientific ideas and ways of thinking about the world
methodological rigour and connectedness of the research to social theory
publish journals
Applied social research
designed to address a specific concern or offer solutions to a problem identified by an employer, agency, social movement or organization
practical results in short term - useable results
inform policy and practice
Public sociology
Basic researchers who also work in applied research.
Term cointed by Gans and Burawoy - transcend the academy to engage with wider audiences
connect the results of research to the general public - social activism
Purpose of research
exploration
description
explanation
purpose of research - exploration
familiar with basic facts setting and concerns
Create a general mental picture of conditions
formulate and focus questions for future research
generate new ideas, conjectures, or hypotheses
determine the feasibility of conducting research
techniques for measuing and locating future data
purpose of research - description
HOW AND WHO
detailed highly accurate picture
locate new data that contradict past data
Create a set of categories or classify types
Clarify a sequence of steps or stages
document a causal process or mechanism
report on the background or context of a situation
purpose of research - explanation
examine an area to formulate precise questions they can address in future research - area hasnt been studies
tend to use qualitative data - not commit to specific theory or questions
test a theory’s predictions
Elaborate and refine a theory’s explanation
Extend a theory to new issues or topics
Support or refute an explanation or prediction
Link issues or topics with a general priniciple
Determine which of several explanations is best
source of social behavior
Cross-sectional
examine a single point in time - snapshot
simplest and least costly
cannot capture social processes or change
most consistent with descriptive approach
Longitudinal - time series
same type of info across two or more periods
stability or change in features of units, track conditions over time
Longitudinal - panel
researcher observes exactly same people, group, or organization across multiple time points
difficult ancant be locatedd costly - people die
longitudinal - Cohort study
focuses over time on same people who share a similar life experience in a specified period
Commonly used in birth cohorts
longitudinal - case study
in-depth ew cases - extensive data - qualitative form- considers specific context of each case
Experimental research
closely follows the logic and principles found in natural science research - create situations and examine effects on participants - compare results of two groups
Survey research
asking people questions - no manipulation - summarize answers in percentages, tables, or graphs
Content analysis
technique for examining info or content in written or symbolic material - first identifies a body of material to analyze - system for recording
Existing statistics research
examines numerical info from government documents or official reports to address new research questions
qualitative interviews
with a selection of people to gain an in-depth understanding of the meaning of a social phenomenon to a group of people. - choose a research topic - select a small group of individuals
Focus groups
qualitative interviews but conducted in group
Group of around 5-7 individuals is given a topic to discuss - data about the research question are derived from this group discussion
mostly exploratory or descriptive studies
field research
begins with loosely formulated idea or topic, selects a social group or natural setting for study, gains access and adopts a social role in the setting, observes in detail
exploratory and descriptive
historical research
examines aspects of social life in a past era or across different cultures
combines theory building and testing with data
Content analysis
can be quantitative or qualitative
can be anal
