1. { Research & Ethics in Sociology

2.  Remember…  Sociology is a type of science  Knowledge is based on direct, systematic observation  Knowledge is based on empirical evidence  Information verified by the human senses through the gathering of data  Sociologists strive for objectivity  Evidence must be collected/evaluated in a fair manner without bias  State of personal neutrality Sociology as a Scientific Study

3. 1. Choose a topic/Identify a problem 2. Review literature 3. Form a hypothesis 4. Choose a research method 5. Collect data 6. Analyze results 7. Make conclusion/Share your research Research Method

4. Select a Topic   Social construct   Preindustrial, Industrial, Postindustrial   Culture & Components   Pop culture, Folk culture, & Subcultures   Globalization   Social structure   Status, role, in-group, out- group   Social institutions   Religion, Government, Economy   Socialization and Development   Deviant behavior   Social control   Crime   Social inequality   Race, Class, Gender, Age

5.   Can Stringent Laws Force Morality?   Causes and Impact of Emotional, Financial, and Physical Abuse of the Elderly   Teenage Suicide: Why it Happens and What to do About it   An Analysis of Harsh and/or Capital Punishment for Sex Offenders   How Does Over-Crowding Affect Human Beings?   Should School Uniforms be Banned?   List of Phobias and their Effect on Personality   The Rise of Divorces in Society - an Analysis   Solitary Confinement and its Emotional Effects   Gay Adoption and its Legal and Ethical Aspects   The Impact of Hate Crimes on Victims and Communities Example Topics

6.  Select a topic/Identify a problem  What do you want to know about?  Narrow your topic  Examples:  How does the existence of welfare impact individuals of lower socioeconomic status?  Do women truly make less money than men?  How does the presence of alcohol impact its usage by young people?  Review the literature  What is already known about the problem?  Does the topic warrant further study?  Researchers are constantly testing reliability of research  Does their research generate the same findings?

7.  Form a hypothesis  Statement of what you expect to find  Predicts relationship between variables (factors that change)  Examples:  Students who use marijuana will do worse in school than those that do not use marijuana.  Teachers who teach freshmen will lose more hair over a 5 year period than those teachers that teach upperclassmen.  Choose a research method  Experiment  Survey  Observation  Which form of research suits your study? Example:  Researcher wants to determine the impact of spousal abuse on women  Which research method should he/she use?

8.  Collecting Data  Is your data valid?  Did you actually measure what you intended to measure?  Analyzing the results  What correlations exist?  Patterns, connections, relationships  If conducting an experiment, was your hypothesis confirmed?  Sharing the results  Share with the scientific community  How did your research compare with the literature you have reviewed?

9. Choosing a Research Method  Participant Observation  Systematic observations made while joining in routine activities  Involves  Interviewing  Participating  Observing  Examples:  How does abuse affect dating patterns?  How does gang membership impact socioeconomic status? Ethical Concerns: Deceiving respondents about reason for your presence

10.  Examples:  Recording racial differences in student’s self- seating patterns in the lunchroom  Researcher sitting in McDonalds observing eating habits of men vs. women  Previous study revealed:  We humans laugh 30 times more often in social situations than in solitary situations Naturalistic Observation

11. Choosing a Research Method  Surveys  Series of questions via questionnaire or interview  Select a sample population  Who will take your survey?  Random sampling  Open-ended vs. Close-ended questions  Open-ended: Allows subjects to answer in their own words  Close-ended: Select from a response list  Neutral questions to avoid bias  Biased question: “Many people have said that there is a need for stricter laws on dangerous weapons. Do you agree?”

12. Survey Examples Close-ended Open-ended

13. Surveys  Advantages:  Quick administration & analysis (close- ended questions)  Open-ended questions create opportunity to answer in own words  Interviews allow researcher to further control situation  Disadvantages:  Difficult to construct questions without bias  Close-ended  Difficult to get in- depth info.  Open-ended questions  Can make it difficult to compare answers  Question of honesty

14. Survey/Questionnaire Introductions  What type of information is included in the example introductory statements used for surveys/questionnaires?

15. Survey/Questionnaire Introductions  Purpose of research  Voluntary participation  Confidentiality  Information kept in confidence, in secret  Anonymity  Participation remains anonymous, or unknown

16. Case Study  Obtaining detailed information about an individual or group to develop general principles about behavior  Can be combined with diaries, tests, interviews  Example:  Studies on chimpanzees revealed their capacity for learning language  Advantages:  Useful in studying rare disorders or circumstances  Can generate new questions/topics  Disadvantages:  Requires a lot of time, effort, attention to detail

17. Choosing a Research Method  Experiment  Independent variable  Something that causes a change in another variable  Dependent variable  Variable that is changed  Experimental group  Exposed to independent variable  Control group  Group not exposed to independent variable  Often given placebo

18. Human subjects Random Assignment (Allows for controlling of other variables Experimental Group Control Group Exposure to independent variable No exposure to independent variable 1 st measure of dependent variable 2 nd measure of dependent variable Experimental group Control group

19. Other Forms of Research  Documents  Books  Newspapers  Bank records  Government documents  Secondary Analysis  Reviewing data that has already been collected  Unobtrusive Measures  Observations made unknowingly  Taping calls  One-way mirror  Issues:  Ethical observations  Advantage – no change in behavior of subjects

20. Ethics in Research  Sociologists must be committed to:  Openness  Honesty  Truth  Protecting subjects from harm  Max Weber:  Social research should be “value free”  Set aside personal beliefs  Be objective in research  Replication is stressed for comparison of results American Sociological Association (A.S.A.)  Code of Ethics  Subjects entitled to biographical anonymity  Sociologists must get consent to avoid invasion of privacy  Do no harm  Embarrassment  Mental trauma  Job loss  Legal penalty Simple Rules: Consider reliability of subjects Keep subjects best interests in mind