Sociology chapter 1 part 2
Six ways to not load the dice
1. Choose a biased sample. 2.Ask biased questions. 3.List biased choices 4.Discard undesirable results. 5.Misunderstand the subjects' world 6.Analyze the data incorrectly
eight basic steps in sociological research
1. Selecting a Topic Example: to better understand or to solve 2. Defining the Problem example: 3. Reviewing the Literature 4. Formulating a Hypothesis 5. Choosing a Research Method examples: surveys, Participant for observation, case studies, analysis of document, experiments. 6. Collecting the Data 7. Analyzing the Results 8. Sharing the Results -Stimulating more idea for research -Generates hypothesis
Six elements (sociology tables
1. Title 2. Headnote 3. headings 4. columns 5. rows 6. source
seven research methods
1.Survey 2. Participation obsevation (Fieldwork) 3.case Studies 4. Secondary Analysis 5.Analysis of Documents 6.experiments 7. unobrtusive Measures
What is a benefit of open-ended questions?
They allow people (respondents) to express a wide range of opinions.
population
a target group to be studied
case study
an intensive analysis of a single event, situation, or individual
Maria is conducting a research project, but she has very few resources beyond the university library and the Internet. What research method should she choose?
analysis of documents
globalization of capitalism
capitalism (investing to make profits within a rational system) becoming the globe's dominant economic system
When you state what you expect to find based on predictions from a theory, which of the following are you doing?
formulating a hypothesis
During the __________ phase of sociology, the focus was on abstract knowledge.
second
Malia is going to submit a report based on her review of data collected by other researchers. What research method is she using?
secondary analysis
Validity (6 colleting data)
the extent to which an operational definition measures what it is intended to measure
Globalization
the growing interconnections among nations as a result of advances in trade, travel and communications. example: national boundaries advanced in communications, trade, and travel.
operational definitions
the way in which a researcher measures a variable.
Your research is __________ if other researchers use the same operational definitions and come up with different results.
unreliable
What is the reason for dividing sociology into phases?
It identifies major trends in sociology
Which of the following is an effect of globalization?
People across the world are more interconnected.
How can we determine if a commonsense idea is true or not?
Research and test the commonsense idea.
seven research methods
1.survey 2. participant observation(fieldwork) 3.case study 4. secondary analysis 5.Analysis of Documents 6. experiments 7.
Three Stages of Sociology
1st prhase: imporve society 2nd phrase: developing abstract knowldege 3rd phrase: apply their research
What is one of the two major trends in sociology
A. research versus reform
rapport
a feeling of trust between researchers and the people they are studying
hypothesis
A statement of how variables are expected to be related to one another, often according to prediction from a theory
Why was Mario Brajuha threatened with jail in regard to his participant observation of restaurant workers?
He refused to give his field notes to the police.
method 2: Participant observation (Fieldwork)
Reasearch in which the researcher participates in a research setting while observing what is happening in that setting
1. ethics in sociological research (why is it vital to protect people study and discussions)
Research ethics requires honesty, truth and openness (sharing findings with the scientific community) forbids falsification of results, plagiarism.
What should someone do to learn what research has been done on a topic and to help formulate research questions?
Review the literature
How might sociology be influenced by globalization?
Sociologists will place more emphasis on identifying universal principles
Reliability ( 6 collecting data)
The extent to which research produces consistent or dependable results
experimental group
The group of subjects in an experiment who are esposed to the indepent variable.
analysis of documents ( 5th method used by sociologist)
To investigate social life, and examine the diverse sources as books, newspapers, diaries, bank records, police reports, immigration filies and records kept by organization.
Variables
a Factor thought to be significant for human behavior, which can vary (or change) from one case to another
Heywood wanted to study serial killers, but with his limited resources for travel, he could only interview the one serial killer that was in a nearby prison. He did many in-depth interviews with this serial killer in order to understand the thinking of this individual. This research is an example of _________.
a case study
dependent variable
a factor in an experiment that is changed by an independent variable
independent variable
a factor that causes a change in another variable, called the dependent variable
stratified random sample
a sample from selected subgroups of the target population in which everyone in those subgroups has an equal chance of being included in the research
misleading the subjects
a setting without the people there knowing they are being researched. But to misrepresent yourself is considered unethical. Example: Disguising himself with a different hairstyle and clothing, Humphreys visited the men at home, supposedly to interview them for the medical study he stated that he should have identified himself as a researcher.
Research can be engineered to give desired results. What is a strategy of "loading the dice" that some unethical researchers use?
choose a biased sample
unobtrusive measures
interview that use open-ended quesitons
Common sense tells us that an abused woman will __________ her abuser but this is not always true
leave
Laud Humphreys conducted his research by frequenting public restrooms known as tearooms and acting as a lookout for the police. His work is considered unethical because he __________.
misled the subjects
Most, but not all, sociologists agree that it is unethical to __________.
misrepresent themselves
Objectivity in research
not imposing personal biases (values, attitudes) when conducting research or analyzing research findings
Research method ( or research design)
one of seven procedures that sociologists use to collect data: surveys, participant observation, case studies, secondary analysis, analysis of documents, experiments, and unobtrusive measures
respondents
people who respond to a survey, either in interviews or by self-administered questionnaires
Protecting the subjects (why?)
protected his respondents keep the information confidential in the professional manner in which he handled himself.
Which of the following is a breach of ethics?
publishing another researcher's work as your own
closed-ended questions
questions that are followed by a list of possible answers to be selected by the respondent
open-ended questions
questions that respondents answer in their own words
Why is it important for sociologists to protect the confidentiality of the individuals who participate in their research?
so that the participants can answer questions honestly without fear of exposure
secondary analysis
the analysis of data that have been collected by other researchers Example: anlysising the original interview of women
survey
the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions
Generalizability
the extent to which the findings from one group (or sample) can be generalized or applied to other groups (or populations)
sample
the individuals intended to represent the population to be studied
control group
the subjects in an experiment who are not exposed to the independent variable
experiment
the use of control and experimental groups and dependent and independent variables to test causation