1. Sociologists Doing Research
Chapter 2 – Page 37
Read Introduction
Sociologists Doing Research

2. Activity – Getting Used to Statistics
Guess how much has changed from 1900 to 2000!
__________ times as many adults are getting high school degrees
_________ percent of all American homes have telephones, electricity, and a flush toilet

3. Questions Ctn.
3. Accidental deaths have decreased by _________. 4. Wages in the manufacturing sector are _________ times greater. 5. Average household assets are ________ times greater. 6. The average work-week is ________ percent shorter.

4. Questions Ctn.
7. The air we breathe is _______ percent cleaner/dirtier. 8. More than _________ of Americans have at least one automobile, VCR, microwave oven, air conditioner, cable television, washer, and dryer.

5. Answers 4
98 %
61% 7
30%
98%
70%

6. Section 1 – Research Methods
Read Page 38 – Section Preview

7. Have any of you been part of a survey
Have any of you been part of a survey? Either as the interviewer or interviewee?

8. Doing Research
Goal: Test common sense assumptions and replace false ideas with facts and evidence
2 methods
Quantitative (survey and precollected data)
Uses numerical data
Qualitative
Uses narrative and descriptive data

9. Worksheet Assignment

10. Survey Research
Survey – Research method in which people respond to questions
How to write a survey or questionnaire com/watch?v=SsZySk Z8bRo

11. An Effective Survey
A Population – Is a group of people with certain specified characteristics a researcher wants to study
Examples:
All high school seniors in the United States
All married couples in Washington State
All retired postal workers in Connecticut
The number of freshmen who buy yearbooks

12. An Effective Survey Ctn.
Why would it be difficult to collect information from a whole population?
You need a sample:
A group of people that represent a larger population
Representative sample
A sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole
Read Example on page 39

13. An Effective Survey Ctn.

14. Ways to Get a Representative Sample
Random or chance selection

15. Ways to do a Survey Questionnaire Interview
Written set of questions that survey participants answer by themselves
Interview
Where a trained researcher asks questions and records the answers

16. Closed v. Open Closed-ended questions Open-ended questions
Questions a person must answer by choosing from a limited, predetermined set of responses
Open-ended questions
Questions a person is to answer in his or her own words

17. Closed-ended Questions
Advantages and Disadvantages
What are they? – Page 41

18. Secondary Analysis
Using precollected information for data collection and research purposes
Sources:
Government reports
Company Records
Voting Lists
Prison Records
Other reports
U.S. Department of Labor and Census Bureau

19. Field Research
Research that takes place in a natural (nonlaboratory) setting
Examples: High school cliques and jocks
Case Study
A thorough investigation of a single group, incident, or community
Example: Study of drug use in Chicago – can be generalized to similar situations

20. LAST SLIDE  Participant Observation
A case study where the researcher becomes a member of the group being studied
Example: Page 42

21. Project
Brainstorm some topics/ideas for a survey you and a partner could do in the school on teachers or students

22. Mr. R’s Incredibly Lame Survey

23. Project Deadline
October 5

24. What are some causes of Crime????

25. Section 2 – Causation in Science
Read Section Preview on page 50

26. The Nature of Causation
Causation Definition:
The belief that events occur in predictable ways and that one event leads to another
Sociologists look for the factors that cause social events to happen
What did our first example about crime prove?
Multiple Causation
The belief that an event occurs as a result of several factors working in combination
Read page 50 – Multiple Causation

27. Variables and Correlations
A characteristic that is subject to change
4 kinds:
Quantitative
Examples: Income, density, literacy rate, etc.
Qualitative
A characteristic that is defined by its presence or absence in a category
Examples: Sex, marital status, group membership etc.

28. Variables and Correlations Ctn.
Independent Variable
A characteristic that causes something to occur
Dependent variable
A characteristic that reflects a change
Example:
Time spent studying for a test = independent
Score on the test/grade = dependent
Intervening variable
A variable that changes the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable

29. Correlation
Definition: A measure of how things are related to one another
May be positive or negative – see page 52

30. IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!! !!
The existence of a correlation does not necessarily mean a cause-and-effect relationship exists!
Example on page 53

31. Example Ice cream consumption is directly related to higher crime
True or False?
Actually, crime rates do rise in the summer and people consume more ice cream in the summer
Why is this NOT causation or multiple causation?
What factors contribute to high crime rates during the summer months?

32. Activity With a partner write a number of if, then statements.
Assuming one cause, one effect

33. Standards for Showing Causation – Read page 53
Two variables must be correlated
All other possible factors must be taken into account
A change in the independent variable must occur before a change in the dependent variable can occur
Spurious Correlation
A relationship between two variables that is actually caused by a third factor

34. Go Over Handout/Worksheet

35. Section 3 – Procedures for Doing Research
Read Section Preview on page 58

36. Scientific Method
The recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses

37. Steps for Doing Research – Page 58
Identify the Problem
Review the Literature
Formulate Hypotheses
Develop a Research Design
Collect Data
Analyze Data
State Findings and Conclusions

38. Reading Time
Read Ethics in Social Research – pages

39. What’s Unethical?
After a field study of deviant behavior during a riot, law enforcement officials demand that the researcher identify those people who were observed looting. Rather than risk arrest as an accomplice after the fact, the researcher complies.
Answer: Protecting the subjects’ rights to privacy

40. What’s Unethical?
A research questionnaire is circulated among students as part of the university registration packet. Although students are not told they must complete the questionnaire, the hope is that they will believe they must – thus ensuring a higher completion rate
Answer: Not being truthful in reporting and disclosing methods

41. What’s Unethical?
Researchers obtain a list of right-wing radicals they wish to study. They contact the radicals with the explanation that each has been selected “at random” from among the general population to take a sampling of “public opinion.”
Answers: Protecting the freedom and privacy of research subjects. Not being truthful

42. Work Time