1. The Sociological Perspective Chapter 2 Doing Sociology

2. The Sociological Perspective The Scientific Research Model Follows Eight Basic Steps: 22 (1) Selecting a topic (2) Defining the problem (3) Reviewing the literature (4) Formulating a hypothesis (5) Choosing a research method (6) Collecting the data (7) Analyzing the results (8) Sharing the results Doing Sociological Research Research

3. The Sociological Perspective

4. Research design that emphasize the use of numbers and statistics to analyze and explain social events and human behavior. Survey Experimental Design Secondary Analysis

5. The Sociological Perspective One of the most commonly used methods of sociological research are surveys The researcher:  Must make sure that the sample is random and representative of the population  Must make sure that the questions (open ended or closed ended) are neutral  Must establish rapport with the interviewees (face to face)  Advantage: A researcher is able to reach a large number of people at one time  Disadvantage: Low response rate (phone calls, mail) and people may not be truthful 55 SurveysSurveys

6. The Sociological Perspective

7. Experiments are not commonly used in Sociological research, but they can be a valuable source of information. The basic experiment involves: The experimental group—those exposed to the independent variable (something that causes a change) The control group—those not exposed to the independent variable.  Advantage: The independent variable can be isolated as the cause of change  Disadvantage: It is a controlled laboratory setting and not a natural setting. 77 ExperimentsExperiments

8. The Sociological Perspective Experimental Design  Useful for determining cause and effect EXAMPLE—Therapy and Spousal Abuse  Experimental group—receive some sort of therapy  Control group—would not get therapy  Independent variable—something that causes the change in another variable (therapy)  Dependent variable—the variable that might change (spousal abuse)

9. The Sociological Perspective When the researcher gathers information from secondary sources it is referred to as secondary analysis. Secondary sources include: newspapers, historical documents, police reports, and other data collected by various societal agencies.  Advantage: It can be a valuable way to collect information in a timely manner  Disadvantage: Some information may be missing or inaccurate 99 Secondary Analysis

10. The Sociological Perspective A research design that uses systematic observation and focuses on the meanings people give to their social actions Participant Observation Unobtrusive Observation

11. The Sociological Perspective The researcher observes individuals and they are aware of the researcher’s presence  Advantage: The researcher is able to gather useful information  Disadvantage: The individual may not act naturally  11 Participant Observation

12. The Sociological Perspective The researcher observes individuals without the knowledge of the researcher’s presence  Advantage: The researcher can observe individuals acting naturally and true to themselves  Disadvantage: Ethical concerns on the part of the participants  12 UnobtrusiveObservationUnobtrusiveObservation