Sociological Investigation Flashcards
Structural Functionalism
composed of interrelated parts that work together to maintain society (tend to believe if one structure malfunctions, all structures will suffer) - close Max Weber’s views
Symbolic Interactionism
composed of symbols (means of communication, verbal or non-verbal) Humans attach meaning to these symbols through interaction - close to Durkheim’s vision
Social conflict
Society is characterized by social inequality. Social life is a struggle for scarce resources - close to Karl Marx’s views
A theory
statement of how and why specific facts are related
A hypothesis
a statement of how two (or more) variables are related
Qualitative vs. Quantitative research
-Quantitative research focuses on data that
can be measured numerically.
-Qualitative research focuses on
interpretive description rather than
statistics to analyze underlying meanings
and patterns of social relationships.
Independent and dependent variables
Independent Variable - what is manipulated in a study
Dependent Variable - what happens when the independent variable
is manipulated
Correlation
a relationship where two or more variables
change together
Causation
a relationship where one variable causes a
change in another variable
Spurious correlation
relationship between two
variables is caused by a third factor
Research methodologies
-Participant Observation: Research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities
-Survey/Interview: A method in which subjects respond to series of questions in a questionnaire survey or an interview
-Secondary Data Analysis: A research method using existing data to draw inferences about society (Old census data, historical records, crime reports…)
Research ethics
-respect ASA code of ethics
-objectivity, integrity, confidentiality, social responsibility
-respect rights, privacy, dignity, and safety of subjects
-no discrimination or abuse of research role
