Test 1 Readings Flashcards
what do positivists assume about social realities?
they already exist and are just waiting to be discovered
how do positivists measure social realities?
quantitatively
what do interpretivists assume about social realities?
they’re subjectively constructed and based on history, culture and society
what do interpretivists emphasize about studying social realities?
meaning and motive
how do interpretivists measure social realities?
qualitatively
which method of reasoning is top down and which is bottom up?
top down: deductive
bottom up: inductive
deductive reasoning
starting with a general idea and testing its validity on specific cases
which reasoning is quantitative and which is qualitative
deductive: quant
inductive: qual
inductive reasoning
identify multiple concrete cases and identify a general pattern/idea that fits them all
objectivity
when independent researchers examine the same subject and produce consistent observations
4 basic principles of canadian ethics in sociology
- voluntary participation
- harm minimization
- right to privacy
- authenticity (don’t decieve participants; if necessary they need to be debriefed)
3 criteria needed to establish a causal relationship
- a relationship exists
- the IV occurs before the DV
- the IV is responsible for the change in DV
validity vs reliability
validity: degree that results are reflected accurately
reliability: consistency of results
what theory does the interpretivist approach correlate with?
symbolic interactionism
what theories does the positivist approach correlate with?
SF/conflict theory
3 levels of social structures
microstructures, macrostructures & global structures
unintrusive measures
do not require active cooperation of respondents and don’t contaminate results
3 ways of knowing
casual observation, relying on tradition and relying on authority
casual observation
regular human observation done without much thought
what is one disadvantage of relying on tradition?
some traditional knowledge is invalid
3 common errors in inquiry
overgeneralization, selective observation and illogical reasoning
overgeneralization
treating an exception as the rule
selective observation
unconsciously ignoring evidence that challenges our beliefs/cherry-picking evidence
illogical reasoning
ignoring the fact that sometimes things happen by chance
purposive sampling
researchers use their own judgment to determine who’ll make the best population
snowball sampling
interviewed participants are asked to provide other people who may want to participate in the study
participant observation
researchers participate in the events of the study with participants
2 types of participant observation
- researchers fully engage and conceal the fact that they’re researchers - minimizes reactivity
- researchers participate solely as observers - reduces ethical concerns and reactivity will decrease over time
what is the main problem with quantitative measuring?
the concrete ideas begin as abstract - abstract ideas aren’t easily testable because they’re not visible
4 steps to quantitative research
- identify idea of interest
- turn abstract idea into a testable hypothesis
- collect and analyze data
- accept/reject hypothesis
4 steps to qualitative research
- identify a research interest from concrete experience
- collect evidence from at least 1 similar case
- analyze cases for common patterns/themes
- interpret the patterns/themes using sociological concepts
3 biasing mechanisms in media
- advertising
- sourcing
- flak
sourcing (media)
major companies organize press conferences, interviews etc. that will slant the info being shared in their favor
flak
governments and big companies will attack journalists if they report something against them
5 dimensions/building blocks of interaction
height, width, depth, time and social
what are the extremities of a sociological compass?
equality/inequality of opportunity, constraint/freedom
triangulation
mixing different viewpoints to offer a better perspective on the data
what came from the scientific revolution?
it encouraged that conclusions about society should be based on evidence and not just speculation
what came from the democratic revolution?
it suggested that since people are in charge of organizing society, we can therefore solve our own social problems
what came from the industrial revolution?
it created new and serious social problems that got the attention of many social thinkers
postindustrial revolution
technology-driven shift from manufacturing to service industries (creation of factories)
globalization
when separate economies, states and cultures become tied together and therefore people become more and more aware of their growing interdependence
insiders vs outsiders
insiders: members of a group who have a detailed understanding of their social environment
outsiders: they don’t belong to that specific group but are able to see more broader and general patterns of the group
