Ch 1 - Doing Social Research

Question 1

Why do people conduct social research?

Answer 1

Learn something new about the social world

Question 2

Social research def

Answer 2

process in which people combine a set of priniciples, outlooks, and ideas with a collection of specific practices, techniques and strategies to produce knowledge

Question 3

alternatives to social research: authority - & limtations

Answer 3

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

Question 4

alternatives to social research: tradition - && limtations

Answer 4

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

Question 5

alternatives to social research: Common sense - & limtations

Answer 5

Crime is committed by just certain people

Learning about social world from everyday experiences - just makes sense

1. Allows illogical fallacies to slip into thinking
2. Common sense contains contradictions that often go unnoticed- bc people use ideas at different times
3. Common sense can originate in tradition - sometimes correct but also contains errors, misinformation, contradiction and stereotypes

Question 6

alternatives to social research: media myths - & limtations

Answer 6

. crime is rampant and increasing

Important source of info but don’t accurately reflect social reality

1. info as fact when it is opinion
2. Create perception that magnitude of a problem is greater than it is
3. Misled by visual images more easily
4. Competing interests use the media to win public support -

Question 7

Misinformation

Answer 7

Claims that contradict verifiable scientific facts

Question 8

Disinformation

Answer 8

False info deliberately propagated to influence public opinion

Question 9

alternatives to social research: personal experience & limtations

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Errors of personal experience - overgeneralization

Answer 10

evidence supports belief - assume it applies for other situations too

Question 11

Errors of personal experience - premature closure

Answer 11

Occurs when you feel you have the answer and do not need to listen, seek info or raise questions any longer

Question 12

Errors of personal experience - selective observation

Answer 12

take notice of some people or events and see out evidence that confirms what you already believe and ignore contradictory info - confirmation bias

Question 13

Errors of personal experience - halo effect

Answer 13

we overgeneralize from what we accept as being highly positive or prestigeous and let its favourable impression or prestige rub off onto other areas

Question 14

Data

Answer 14

Empirical evidence or info that one gathers carefuly according to rules or procedures

Question 15

Empirical evidence

Answer 15

directly experienced through senses

Question 16

Basic social research

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Applied social research

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Public sociology

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Purpose of research

Answer 19

exploration
description
explanation

Question 20

purpose of research - exploration

Answer 20

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

Question 21

purpose of research - description

Answer 21

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

Question 22

purpose of research - explanation

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Cross-sectional

Answer 23

examine a single point in time - snapshot

simplest and least costly

cannot capture social processes or change

most consistent with descriptive approach

Question 24

Longitudinal - time series

Answer 24

same type of info across two or more periods

stability or change in features of units, track conditions over time

Question 25

Longitudinal - panel

Answer 25

researcher observes exactly same people, group, or organization across multiple time points

difficult ancant be locatedd costly - people die

Question 26

longitudinal - Cohort study

Answer 26

focuses over time on same people who share a similar life experience in a specified period

Commonly used in birth cohorts

Question 27

longitudinal - case study

Answer 27

in-depth ew cases - extensive data - qualitative form- considers specific context of each case

Question 28

Experimental research

Answer 28

closely follows the logic and principles found in natural science research - create situations and examine effects on participants - compare results of two groups

Question 29

Survey research

Answer 29

asking people questions - no manipulation - summarize answers in percentages, tables, or graphs

Question 30

Content analysis

Answer 30

technique for examining info or content in written or symbolic material - first identifies a body of material to analyze - system for recording

Question 31

Existing statistics research

Answer 31

examines numerical info from government documents or official reports to address new research questions

Question 32

qualitative interviews

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Focus groups

Answer 33

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

Question 34

field research

Answer 34

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

Question 35

historical research

Answer 35

examines aspects of social life in a past era or across different cultures

combines theory building and testing with data

Question 36

Content analysis

Answer 36

can be quantitative or qualitative

can be anal