Exam 1 Flashcards
_________ moves from the specific to the general.
Induction
What are the common errors in non-scientific inquiry?
Inaccurate Observations Overgeneralizations Selective Observation Illogical Reasoning Ecological Fallacy
What are the foundations of social research?
Theory, not philosophy or belief
Social regularities
Aggregates, not individuals
A variable language
What are some dialectics of social research?
Idiographic / Nomothetic Explanation
Inductive / Deductive Theory
Quantitative / Qualitative Data
Pure / Applied Research
True or false: Nomothetic explanations seek to explain one case fully.
False, Idiographic explanations seek to explain one case fully.
What are nomothetic explanations?
Nomothetic explanations tend to be more general with scientists trying to identify a few causal factors that impact a wide class of conditions or events
Give an example of nomothetic and idiographic explanations in reference to how people find a job.
For example, when dealing with the problem of how people choose a job, idiographic explanation would be to list all possible reasons why a given person (or group) chooses a given job, while nomothetic explanation would try to find factors that determine why job applicants in general choose a given job.
_________ moves from the general to the specific.
Deduction
What is the difference between pure and applied research?
Pure research aims to conduct research and gain knowledge of society whereas applied research aims to apply knowledge to areas that would improve social life.
What are the three purposes of research?
- Exploration
- Description
- Explanation
What is a coincidental statistical correlation between two variables, shown to be caused by some third variable.
Spurious relationship
In a ______ study, a researcher examines specific subpopulations, or cohorts, as they change over time.
Cohort
In a _____ study, data is collected from the same set of people at several points in time. It is a longitudinal study.
Panel
A ______ study is a type of longitudinal study in which a given characteristic of some population is monitored over time.
Trend
A _________ study involves data collected at different points of time.
Longitudinal
What is the major argument of Critical Race Theory? Who are the important scholars within this paradigm?
Critical Race Theorists consider judicial conclusions to be the result of the workings of power, they oppose racial subordination especially in the laws. The important scholars include Dubois and Derrick Bell.
What is the major argument of Feminist paradigms?
There is a great deal of focus on gender inequalities and how they are related to the rest of social orgnaization, they fight against injustice. They strive for social justice for women and people in marginal positions, both men and women.
What is the major argument of the Structural Functionalism paradigm? Who is the important scholar within this paradigm?
This paradigm argues that a social system is made up of parts; each part contributes to the functioning of the whole. The important scholar within this paradigm is Emile Durkheim
What is the major argument in Ethnomethodology? Who is an important scholar within Ethnomethodology?
Ethnomethodology examines the ways in which peole make sense of their world and how social order is created and shared. Example: “How are you?” does not mean a person wants to actually hear about how you really are. Harold Garfinkel is the important scholar within this paradigm.
What is the major argument of Symbolic Interactionism? Who are the most important scholars?
Symbolic interactionism focuses on the meaning created in social interaction. People use symbols to create meaning within interactions. The important scholars are George Mead, Erving Goffman, and Herbert Blumer (who coined the term: SI)
What is the major argument of Conflict Paradigm? Who is the most important scholar?
Social behavior could be best seen as the process of conflicts. Karl Marx is the most important scholar within the Conflict Paradigm.
What is the major argument of Early Positivism? Who is the most important scholar within this paradigm?
Society should be studied scientifically, as it is studied in natural science. Auguste Comte was the most important scholar within Positivism.