1. Intro to Research Methods
Soc. 2155
Intro to Research Methods

2. Week 1 What is methodology? Every-day inquiry vs. science
From theory to hypothesis
Dependent and independent variables
Research process
Topics and purposes of research
Units of analysis
Time designs
Qualitative and quantitative methods

3. Methodology = science of “finding out”
How do we come to know?
How do we gather information?
How do we draw conclusions?

4. Everyday Inquiry vs. Science: Similarities
How we come to know –
experience
teaching
agreement/belief
Concepts of “cause” and “probability”
Prediction as a goal
Influence of tradition, authority

5. Everyday Inquiry vs. Science: Differences
Conscious methodology
Colleague review
Commitment to objectivity
Strive for generalizability
Strive for validity

6. Errors in every day inquiry
Scientific solution
Inaccurate obs.
Overgeneralization
Selective observation
Illogical reasoning
Personal involvement
Resistance
Structure obs.
Sampling
Logical steps
Careful design, peer review
Science can study anything that exists

7. Research Process Deduction Induction Theory Observation Hypothesis
Pattern finding
Hypothesis
Structured obs.
Decision
Structured obs.
Theory
Theory

8. From Theory to Data Concept = image, name for category of things
Proposition = statement of relationship b/t concepts.
Theory = set of propositions that explains a general class of phenomena
Variable = observable indicator of a concept
Hypothesis = statement of relationship b/t variables. Specific, can be tested.

9. Example: Functional Theory of Stratification
Importance of role
Talent, skill, training + +
SOCIAL REWARD --
Desirability of role
Theory proposes relationships between abstract concepts

10. Concepts used in functional theory: Concept: Indicator Variable
Importance of role
Talent, skill training
Desirability
Social reward
Necessary for survival?
Education, experience, ability, IQ, etc.
# people willing to do it
Prestige, earnings

11. Hypotheses we could deduce from functional theory:
CEO earns more than janitor.
Rock star has more prestige than college professor.
Doctor earns more than waiter.
People don’t have to be paid to have children.
Police officer earns more $ and gets more respect than all of the above!

12. Dependent and Independent Variables
Dependent variable (DV) = variable to be explained or predicted. Outcome or effect. May “depend” on other variables in the study.
Independent variable (IV) = variable that explains or predicts the DV. Cause, explanation, predictor, or antecedent. Is not explained by other variables in the study.

13. State the IV’s and DV’s Voting behavior is affected by gender.
ACT test score is a predictor of college GPA.
The higher the hours spent studying, the higher one’s grade will be.
Single parent families are more likely than two parent families to live in poverty.
There is a positive relationship between years of education and income.

14. Where do research topics come from?
Specialty areas, ongoing work
Current events, public issues
Need to solve specific problem
Need to evaluate programs, policies
Request of outside agency
Personal experience or interest

15. What makes a good topic? Feasibility Social Importance
Scientific Relevance

16. 3 Research Purposes
1. Exploratory – explore new topics, methods, or feasibility of a larger study.
2. Descriptive – describe a large population. Make generalizations from sample data. Characteristics, trends.
3. Explanatory – test hypotheses, address questions of cause and effect.

17. Units of Analysis: “Who” or “What” will the research describe?
Unit Examples
Individual
Group
Organization
Area
Artifact
Persons, respondents
Households, families
Schools, businesses, depts.
Cities, states, neighborhoods
Documents, recordings, art

18. Identify Units of Analysis and Independent/Dependent Variables
The more years of education a person has, the higher the income s/he will earn.
Men are more likely than women to participate in recreational sports.
The more children a family has, the lower the proportion of their income that will go into savings.
Crime rates are higher in urban areas than in rural areas.
Truancy rates are higher in larger high schools.
Toy commercials show high levels of gender stereotyping.

19. Time Dimension of Research
Cross sectional study: single point in time, a “snapshot.”
Faster, less expensive
Can’t analyze trends or causal relationships
Longitudinal study: 2+ points in time, a “movie.”
Longer, more costly
Gives more information about timing of events
Can study trends, causes

20. 3 Longitudinal Designs
Trend study: same population, different points in time. (Ex: opinion polls)
Cohort study: population who experienced same event at same time (Ex: birth, marriage, graduation)
Panel study: exact same persons are followed over period of time

21. Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Qualitative Methods
Direct observation
Participant observation
Unstructured interview
Content analysis
Rich detail, insight, deep understanding. May be limited to case studies or small samples
Quantitative Methods
Surveys
Experiments
Existing statistics
Suited to statistical analysis. Can summarize large amounts of data. Can generalize to large populations.