Chapter 3 Flashcards
Common Wisdom
widely held beliefs or perceptions that people repeat are often inaccurate and unsupported by research
Theories
based on observations and explain patterns in data
Operationalization
make what we want to study is measurable
Causation
change in one variable results in corresponding change in another variable
Causation is dependent on 3 factors
- must eliminate all other explanations
- there must be correlation
- cause has to happen first, independent before dependent
Spurious Relationship
there’s a correlation but not a causation
Quantitative Research
numerical data, surveys
Survey
a set of prewritten questions respondents are asked to answer, close ended or open ended questions, normally close ended, General Social Survey
Qualitative Research
not countable data, interviews, observational studies (can be outside observer or involved in situation), fieldwork
Fieldwork
uses in-depth, often extended study to describe and analyze a group or community
Ethnography
participant observation, looks at a culture from the perspective of a participant, can be a kind of fieldwork
Content Analysis
analyzes written material and cultural products (or the fast and the furious)
Reliability
repeatability, precision
Validity
accuracy, survey questions needed to be worded so that what is being asked in clear, order of questions matters
Kinds of bias
sampling bias, preference bias
Value Neutral
Researcher puts personal beliefs aside
Generalizability
population is often hard to acquire, sample must be representative of population, random sampling
Sociological Research Formula
- Formulate a research question precisely and carefully.
- Conduct a literature review. (see what’s out there, is it outdated?)
- Select the appropriate method.
- Consider the ethical implications. (internal review boards, informed consent, debrief)
- Collect and analyze data according to research method.
- Publish results in an academic journal, book, newspaper, documentary, or share at a conference.
Mutant Statistics
- Questionable Definitions
- Inadequate Measurement
- Bad Samples
- Transformation
- Confusion
Questionable Definition
epidemic of racially motivated church fires: what is an epidemic? what is racially motivated?
Inadequate Measurement
can’t compare hate crime rates from state to state because they’re measured differently, different methods and definitions, some states don’t even report them
Bad Samples
not representative of population, can’t generalize
Transformation
x people suffer from anorexia -> x people die from anorexia
Confusion
people don’t understand what the statistic means, it’s too complicated
Good Characteristics of Statistics
- More than guessing
- Clear, reasonable definitions
- Clear, reasonable measures
- Good Samples
Point-prevalence Bias
samples taken at a single point in time are biased toward those who persistently face the condition of interest, overestimates characteristics of persistently homeless, underestimates variations and characteristics of the turnover, can fuel tendency of the public to attribute social problems to shortcomings of those affected by them
Limitation of Reading Homeless Study
no inclusion of currently homeless in their study
Empirical
statements that can be proven true or false
Normative Statements
opinions
Basic Research
directed at gaining fundamental knowledge about some issue
Applied Research
research designed to produce results that are immediately useful in relation to some real world situation
Coding
applying descriptive labels to qualitative data to classify them and denote patterns
