1. Class 2. Soc. Science/Disciplines
D. Propst
1/19/98

2. Introduction Personal info. forms for the new folks
Questions about syllabus
Reading Team assignments
Introduce Nicole Higgason
Purpose Today:
Understand social science & disciplinary perspectives of leisure behavior
3 “Tools” of social science

3. Topics of Discussion What is “social”? What is “science”?
How do social scientists think?
What are the various disciplinary perspectives of recreation behavior?
What are the 3 tools of social science?
How to use course website?

4. Topic One: Review Shoe overhead (outcome or behavior? P? E?)
Questions from readings

5. Topic two: “Social”
Mannell reading critical -- Person/”Environment” Interactions (S-O-R, pp in Mannell)
Recreation Experience = people participating in activities in particular environments
“People” part -- demographics, individual states/traits, group, culture, economic, geographic/spatial
Interdisciplinary

6. Topic Three: “Science”
Mannell reading: scientific method (steps), cause & effect, dependent & independent variables (is there a relationship?)
Steps in the scientific method
Most important: statement of the problem
To start: “what do I hope to learn or accomplish?”
First part of leis. behavior observation plan due Feb. 18
Hypotheses as to cause of problem
Experiments designed to test hypotheses
Predicted results of experiments
Observed results of experiments
Conclusions from results of experiments
Pink handout assignment--answer questions at bottom

7. Other ways to understand the world
Faith and reason (common sense)
Tradition and authority
Inherent human biases to create order where none exists (Gilovich)
Science
conscious and careful
based on logic and observation
apply judgments after the facts are known, not before
not value free, but …..

8. Social scientists: are curious
avoid jumping to conclusions, over-generalizing, reasoning illogically
use logic and observation via the scientific method
apply knowledge to solve social problems
much of how we think depends on our disciplinary background (handout)

9. Disciplinary Perspectives of Rec. Behavior
Behavior a function of --
Psychology--individual traits + the “situation”: B=f(P, E)
Economics--market forces
Geography--space, mobility
Sociology--groups & institutions
Anthropology--culture

10. Psychology--individual traits
overt behavior, cognition & affect (feelings/emotions)
tries to explain observable behavior (overt) & its relation to
unseen mental processes (covert) and
external environmental events (the “situation”)
situation-organism-response approach (S-O-R)

11. Economics--market forces
Some Basic questions
How should scarce resources be allocated?
free market system & laws of supply & demand
What are the costs & benefits of our choices?
Who gains & who loses?

12. Geography--space, mobility
Systematic study of patterns & processes on the landscape
People are here; resources there--people move through space to the resources
accessibility
mobility
substitutes
distance

13. Sociology--groups & institutions
Understanding society in a systematic way
Social=interactions between people in environments
Basic questions
what are people doing with each other?
what are their relationships with each other?
what are their relationships to institutions?
what are the collective ideas that motivate people & institutions?

14. Anthropology--culture
Focus on entire cultures
Two questions pertinent to this field
what is the role of leisure & recreation in the development & maintenance of human culture?
what impact does tourism have on cultures?

15. 3 “Tools” of Soc. Science Models (e.g., course model) Theories
Observation

16. Next Steps Wednesday Logbook entries due at beginning of class only
sit with your reading group
exchange & read someone else’s
make comment, initial & date
Logbook entries due at beginning of class only
Pink handout exercise due