GLO 3: Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the sociocultural level of analysis Uriel C. Lucero M. Amber W.

Command Term: Discuss!!! Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments, factors or hypotheses. Opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

Notes… In the sociocultural LoA most research is qualitative Majority of research is Naturalistic or “as it really is” Early research was experimentation because this was thought to be the most scientific method

Modern Research Methods Used to collect data to develop and support theories Research is done in environments in which behavior is most likely to take place Trying to “see the world through the eyes of the people being studied”

1) Participant Observations Overt: Participants know they're being observed Covert: Participants don’t know they're being observed Researchers immerse themselves in a social setting for an extended period or time and observe behavior

Pros/Cons : Overt Pros: -able to observe behavior of group being studied -able to “see the world through their eyes” Cons: -must gain trust of group -must commit a significant amount of time -must develop a trusting relationship with group

Pros/Cons : Covert Pros: -can be used with groups that would be hostile toward outsiders (Hooligan Firm, drug users) -able to observe behavior of group being studied Cons: -must gain trust of group (through deceit) -must commit a significant amount of time -must develop a trusting relationship with group and record notes in memory (leads to possible distortion of info)

POP QUIZ!!! What two types of participant observations have been discussed so far? What makes them different?

Overt Research Study O’Reilly (2000) Studied British exiles in Spain (specifically looked at if they were happy or not) Found that they were quite happy and didn’t want to return to England To find this out it was necessary to spend a lot of time with the exiles and observing them

Covert Research Study Leon Festinger et al.’s When Prophecy Fails (1956) A religious cult believed the world would end soon Believed they’d be saved by flying saucers Festinger had to sneak in undetected to study them Remained with the cult until the prophesized doomsday…..when nothing happened Cult thought God decided to spare the world because of their prayers

2) Interviews One of the more common ways of gathering qualitative data Can be a few brief questions or many in-depth questions Social skills are important when conducting an interview Positive relationships with interviewee are also important

Pros/Cons : Interviews Pros: -great way to collect data -can be very successful with good questions and a plan for conducting the interview -can be open and casual or strict and structured Cons: -researcher must have excellent people skills and must be very professional -requires a positive relationship and lots of time and effort -keep in mind that interviewee might not be telling the truth

POP QUIZ!!! What is important when you conduct and interview? What kind of data is collected from interviews?

Interview Research Study Jorm, Rodgers, and Christensen (2003) Separately Interviewed 2551 Australian adults about memory medication Australians said they started taking the pill to enhance memory When told that the pill didn’t seem to help memory at all, most didn’t believe the scientists Shows principle number four (resistant to change)

3) Focus Groups Controlled organized group discussions VIDEO CLIP: (example of a focus group) Pros: -Several people interviewed at once -Specific topic and theme -focus groups make participants feel comfortable in sharing thoughts -Participants relate to other participants in group

Focus Groups Cons: -a lot of effort is needed -must be careful not to offend or make any of the participants feel uncomfortable -researchers must be very skilled in conducting focus groups just right

POP QUIZ!!! What are focus groups? What is important when conducting a focus group?

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