Studying Social Life and Sociological Research Methods-Week 2

Question 1

What are research methods ?

Answer 1

the scientific procedures that sociologists use to conduct research and develop knowledge about a particular topic

Question 2

What is Quantitative Research ?

Answer 2

uses data that can easily be converted into numbers
ex. survey, an experiment

Question 3

What is Qualitative research?

Answer 3

involves data that can’t easily be converted to numbers
ex. observation, informal interviews

Question 4

What is mixed methods or Triangulation?

Answer 4

uses multiple methods of research often a combination of both qualitative/quantitative methods

Question 5

What is the scientific method?

Answer 5

a method of obtaining objective/ systematic knowledge through observation it’s truth is confirmed by verification

Question 6

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 6

tentative statements that can be tested regarding relationships b/t 2 + factors…an educated guess

Question 7

What are the steps of social research?

Answer 7

1. Decide on a topic, what to study
   basis of importance,personal interst, availability of research
2. Review the literature
   lit review- study of relevant academic articles and information
   help you know what other researches have previously discovered on the topic
3. form a hypothesis :a trial explanation, educated guess, predicts how the independent and dependent variables are related
4. Chose a research design :plan of action, method of data collection
5. Collect data
   needs to have replicability/ reliability to test validity
6. Analyze results
   important to make sense of the data you collect so others can interpret your results.
7. Share and publish results
   allows others to read and use your findings in their own research
   expands base of knowledge

Question 8

Terms in Step 3: Develop a hypothesis:

Answer 8

independent variable
dependent variable
concepts
operationalizing
operational definitions

Question 9

What is the difference b/t independent and dependent variable?

Answer 9

Independent - explains or predicts the dependent variable

dependent- the behavior to be explained or predicted

Question 10

What are concepts ?

Answer 10

abstract ideas that are important to measure

Question 11

What is operationalizing and operational defined as?

Answer 11

Operationalizing - turning abstract ideas into something measurable

operational- like a recipe
clear, precise defin./instruct. about how to observe and measure variables
important bc they let the reader know what the researcher is researching

Question 12

Terms in Step 5:Collect data

Answer 12

reliability
validity
comparative studies
cross-sectional studies
longitudinal studies
cohort
populations
sample
random sample
generalization
survey
likert scale
experiments
milgram obedience study
Hawthorne effect
field research
participant observation
case studies
ethnography
secondary data
secondary data analysis

Question 13

How are reliability and validity different?

Answer 13

Reliability is about the consistency of the measurement

Validity is about the accuracy of the measurement

Question 14

How are the ways of collecting data defined?
Comparative studies
Cross-sectional studies
Longitudinal studies
cohort

Answer 14

Comparative studies use data from different sources in order to evaluate them against each other

Cross-sectional studies look at one event at a single point in time

Longitudinal studies include data from observations over time using a cohort

cohort is a specific group of people used in a study

Question 15

How is population defined/types

Answer 15

Populations are target groups from which researchers want to get information (data collection)

types :
Individuals
Traces (Any evidence of human activity. Could be the numbers of lights on a house; garbage; water meters of usage)
Documents
Territories
Households
Small Groups

Question 16

What is a sample, random sample, and generalizations?

Answer 16

sample is a subset of the population
random sample ensures that subjects are arbitrarily chosen from a defined population—every subject has an equal chance of being selected
generalization–the extent that what is learned from a sample can be applied to the population from which the sample is taken in order to apply any findings to the larger population

Question 17

How are the types of data collection defined?
survey Likert scale, experiments, field research, participant observation,
, case studies
, ethnography

Answer 17

survey is an investigation of the opinions or experience of a group of people by asking them questions ex. questionnaires, interviews

What is a Likert scale? A likert scale is a weighed scale, usually 5-7 strongerly agree-disagree

Field research is research conducted in a natural setting can observe lifestyles of a subject, people’s behavior in real time

Participant observation- where the researchers pose as a person who is normally in the environment

Case Studies are investigations of one person or event in detail

Ethnography aims to understand the social perspective and cultural values of a particular group by participation with or getting to know their activities in detail

Question 18

What is secondary data and secondary data analysis ?

Answer 18

Secondary data -data that others have already collected and published

Secondary data analysis- process of using and analyzing data that others have collected

Question 19

Terms in Step 6: Analyze results

Answer 19

Central tendency
mean
median
average

Question 20

What is central tendency?

Answer 20

which is the numbers in middle of an array of numbers

Question 21

what are the differences b/t mean, median, and mode

Answer 21

Mean- an average
median- the midpoint in a distribution of #’s
mode-the most common vale in a distribution of #’s

Question 22

What are the three conditions needed to be met before before a researcher can claim that an independent variable contributes significantly toward explaining the dependent variable

Answer 22

1. Time Sequence
2. Establish an association
3. No Spurious Relationship

Question 23

Research Methods and the 3 Paradigms :
Functionalists
Social Conflict
Symbolic interactions

Answer 23

Functionalists would examine how an issue functions or has consequences in the society

Social conflict theorists would study how the same phenomenon affect the unequal distribution of goods or rewards in society

Symbolic interactionists might focus more on how the issue affected people on the individual level