1Sociology 357Methods of Sociological InquiryLecture Notes #1Basic Methodological ConceptsGetting Started• Why bother to learn how to do research?– Answer questions important to us– Informed consumer of others’ research• Empirical statements– Possible to be true or false– Truth/falsehood can be determined by observation• Values– What ought to be, what is good or bad– Distinguished from empirical statements– Influence selection of research topicsNonscientific Approaches to Knowledge• Unsupported assertions – no evidence at all• Appeals to authority– Need to evaluate the authority– Have to do this sometimes• Casual observation– Unconcretized abstractions (e.g. aggressive –specific behaviors unclear)– Errors of observation2Errors of Observation• Inaccurate observation: Simply wrong about what you think you saw• Overgeneralization: Correct about what you saw, but apply it too broadly• Selective observation: Only notice what supports your viewScientific Approach to Knowledge• Empiricism: take sensory input from the world• Objectivity: different people can observe the same inputs and “see” the same thing– Reliability: observations can be consistently made over time and by different people (about observation)– Validity: theoretical/conceptual interpretation of observations is correct (about link between observation and theory)• Controlled observation to eliminate sources of error in observation• Knowledge as tentative, subject to further refinementScientific Attitude• Knowing better than not knowing• About things outside you, not introspection• Respect the evidence, prefer unpleasant truth to self-delusion• Always tell the truth about your research, no matter what• Recognizes the boundaries of expertise3Studying People• Free will vs. social patterns– Social constraints on choices (e.g. money, laws)– Social effects on choices lead people to want to behave in certain ways• Probabilistic thinking– Recognize both the general tendency and the variation around that tendency• Understanding (verstehen) vs prediction, explanationThe Scientific ProcessTheoryObservationPredictions (hypotheses)Empirical GeneralizationsTheory• Not “idle speculation” but coherent accounts of how things work• Theory is part of science: making sense of what the distinct observations mean, how they are related• Abstractions are concretized: theoretical elements have connections to empirical phenomena• Explanation and prediction as equivalent4Goals of Scientific Research• Description. Accurate description of what is actually happening is the bedrock of science. – Comparative description documents changes over time or differences between subjects.• Explanation and Prediction. Provide a theoretical account for observations as part of a larger understanding of how the world works, and predict future observations• Understanding. Of people, why they do what they do. Of social systems, how they work and why they work that way.Research Steps• Define a problem of interest• Identify empirical questions within that problem• Use/create a general theoretical framework for understanding the problem• Concretize the concepts in the theory– operationalize the variables• Define the sample• Collect data• Analyze data• Draw
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