Sociological Research Methods Pages: S18-S27

What is Sociology? Sociology is the science that studies human society and human behavior. In order to study these things, Sociologist look to build and study Empirical Research Empirical Research: Relies on the use of experience, observation, and experimentation to collect facts which = data

How do we research? We use the Scientific Method. Why? 1) To try and prevent our own notions, values and biases from interfering 2) To use careful and correct reasoning in drawing conclusions 3) The research is organized and completed in a methodical manner

Characteristics of Social Research Issues of Interest: The main one lies in examining the structure and function of various features of society ex. How are groups organized and the consequences of actions on society Rates of Behavior: How often does the behavior occur in a specific condition Stability and Change: Why do things or stay the same?

Variables Variable= a characteristic that can differ from one individual, group or situation to another in a measureable way. Examples- Age, Race, Income, Education Control- Used to exclude the possibility that outside variables affect the relationship of two variables

Causation What causes an event to occur? We study Cause and Effect by examining the relationship among variables. A causal relationship exists when a change in one variables causes a change in another.

Correlation The change in one variable is regularly associated with a change in another variable This may or may not be causal and it can be a + or a – + Example- The higher the rate of cigarettes smoked, the higher the rate of lung cancer. – Example- As you get older, you need fewer hours of sleep

Spurious This correlation exists when variables appear to be related are affected by a third variable Example- Hospitalization and death appear highly correlated but instead a third variable, serious illness is responsible

Basic Research Methods Historical- Use materials from the past (documents etc.) Content Analysis-# of times something appears in a context (easy and cheap) Ex- TV, radio, movies, photos, periodicals Surveys- Questionnaires and Interviews Public Opinion Polls (lots of responses) able to get clarification, expressions Rely only on response, do they get ? Time consuming and expensive

Basic Research Methods People who participate are responders Sampling- Representative of Population Random Sampling- every member has a chance of being selected Observation- Two types Detached or Participant Detached so you observe from a distance, people don’t know, they act normal Participant- you take part so you don’t miss information Case Study- Intensive focus of the investigation. It is in-depth Ex. Riots, Natural Disasters but don’t generalize the results based on one case

The Math Section When looking at information in Sociology, think about the following math terms 