sociological research

Cards (29)

  • Three ways to do research in sociology: positivist sociology, interpretive sociology, and critical sociology
  • Positivist sociology is the study of society based on systematic observation of social behavior
  • Key terms associated with positivist sociology include concepts, variables, and measurement
  • Three useful descriptive statistics are the mode, mean, and median
  • Reliability refers to consistency in measurement, while validity means precision in measurement
  • Cause and effect is a relationship where change in one variable causes change in another
  • Correlation exists when two or more variables change together
  • Spurious correlation is an apparent false association between variables caused by another variable
  • Limitations to scientific research include the complexity of human behavior and the influence of researchers on behavior being studied
  • Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world
  • Max Weber pioneered interpretive sociology, emphasizing interpretation in sociology
  • The focus is on understanding why people act as they do based on their meanings
  • Critical sociology, founded by Karl Marx, focuses on the need for social change
  • The goal is not just to study society as it is but to change it
  • Research orientations are linked to sociological theory
  • Positivist orientation and structural-functional approach aim to understand society as it is
  • Interpretive sociology and symbolic-interaction approach focus on meanings people attach to their social world
  • Critical sociology and social-conflict approach seek to reduce social inequality
  • Gender affects research in terms of androcentricity, overgeneralizing, gender blindness, double standards, and interference
  • Formal guidelines exist for conducting research, including research ethics
  • Four commonly used research methods are experiment, survey, participant observation, and secondary sources
  • Experiments investigate cause and effect under controlled conditions
  • Surveys involve subjects responding to statements or questions in a questionnaire or interview
  • Participant observation involves researchers systematically observing people while joining in their routine activities
  • Secondary sources involve analyzing existing data collected by others
  • Inductive and deductive logical thought are used in sociological research
  • Inductive reasoning builds specific observations into general theory
  • Deductive reasoning transforms general ideas into specific hypotheses for testing
  • Ten steps in sociological investigation include defining the topic, reviewing existing knowledge, formulating questions, planning research, considering ethics, choosing a method, recording data, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and sharing findings