Theory and research

Question 1

What are the two things theory and ideology have in common?

Answer 1

Both contain a set of assumptions

Both seek to explain the social world

Question 2

What are ideologies based on?

Answer 2

Political values and faith

Question 3

What do ideologies offer?

Answer 3

Absolute certainties (they are closed systems)

Question 4

What do ideologies protect?

Answer 4

Interests of a particular group

Question 5

What do ideologies do?

Answer 5

Selectively present and interpret empirical evidence

Question 6

What do social theories seek?

Answer 6

Logical consistency, to explain, is based on evidence

Question 7

What are the 4 elements of Social Theory?

Answer 7

1. Axioms (postulates)
2. Concepts
3. Classifications
4. Hypothesis

Question 8

What are axioms (postulates)?

Answer 8

In-built statements about the nature of concepts, ground for a theory

Question 9

What are concepts? (2 elements)

Answer 9

They are used to explain observations, have various levels of abstraction.

Question 10

What are classifications?

Answer 10

They organise concepts

Question 11

What are typologies or taxonomies?

Answer 11

When you combine two or more concepts

Question 12

What’s a hypothesis?

Answer 12

An empirically testable version of a proposition

Question 13

What are the 3 steps to building a social theory?

Answer 13

1. Look at concepts (dimensions)
2. Build relationships
3. Produce propositions that you can go out and test/measure

Question 14

What are the 4 conditions a hypothesis must respect?

Answer 14

• Plausible
• Testable
• Specific (directional)
• Falsifiable

Question 15

What’s a directional hypothesis?

Answer 15

Created to examine the relationship among the variables rather than to compare groups.

Question 16

What are two ways of approaching the nature of explanation?

Answer 16

Idiographic

Nomothetic

Question 17

What’s idiographic?

Answer 17

To explain one situation exhaustively

Question 18

What’s nomothetic?

Answer 18

Look at key factors to understand/explain a phenomenon

Question 19

What are the 3 main theoretical paradigms in sociology?

Answer 19

Functionalism, conflict paradigm and symbolic interactionism

Question 20

What’s functionalism? (4)

Answer 20

Society as an organism, interdependence of roles and functions, stable patterns, equilibrium

Question 21

What’s the conflict paradigm? (3)

Answer 21

Conflict as ongoing, conflicts about material resources, power/class relationship.

Question 22

What’s symbolic interactionism? (2)

Answer 22

Creation of meaning, face to face interaction. George Mead