SOC 100 1st Edition Lecture 5 Methods of Research - Topics of Sociological Inquiry- Unique- sociological Imaginationo Theoryo MethodsResearch Process:- Read previous studieso Theory - Formulate research question- Design study to answer question- Hypothesize possible results- Collect and analyze datao Quantativeo Qualitative- Iterative: - Interpreting results - Answering yourquestion- Implications- Distributing the resultsMethods of Data Collection- Questionnaires- Interviewso Focus groups- Observation - Archives/existing records - Text- Media (movies, television)- Material products (ex: crafts& buildings)- Photographs Designing StudyNew family structure study- Mark Regnerus- Proper measurement matters These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Pay attention to the denominator- Peer review essential “double blind”- Must reveal conflicts to interestPositionality:Everyone has a social locationSocial location effects researchPure objectivity not achievableReplace with reflexivityThink critically about you rpositionalityBe open about it with audienceUse social location in your research Insider/outsider relationshipsResearch methods: various strategies sociologists and other scientists use to formulate and answer meaningful research questions and collect, analyze, and interpret data gathered. Scientific method: A carefully planned data gathering and data analysis process that researchers open to outside critique and replication. Objectivity: A stance in which researchers personal, or subjective, views do not influence their observations or the outcomes of their research .6 interdependent research process steps: 1. establishing a research question2. reviewing the literature3. choosing a research design4. identifying variables, and specifying hypotheses5. collecting and analyzing data6. drawing conclusionData Gathering Methods1. self administered questionnaires: A set of questions given to respondents who read the instructions and fill in the answers themselves.2. Interviews: face to face, phone, electronically mediated conversations between an interviewer and a respondent, in which the interview asks questions and records answers. a. Structured interviews: the wording and sequence of questions are set in advance and can not be changed during the interview.b. Unstructured interview: the question and answer sequence is spontaneous, open ended,and flexible. 3. Observation: A research technique in which the researcher watches, listens to, and records behavior and conversations as they happen. i. 3 purposes: 1. studying behavior as it occurs 2. learning info that survey can’t easily capture 3. Appreciating the experiences and viewpoints of those under observationa. Nonparticipant observation: a research technique in which the researcher observes study participants without interacting with them.b. Participant observation: A research techni que in which the researcher observes study participants while directly interacting with them .c. Hawthorne Effect: A phenomenon in which research subjects alter their behavior when they learn they are being observed. 4. Secondary Sources: Data that have been collected by other researchers for some other purpose.a. Variable: any behavior or characteristic that consists of more than one category. i. Ex: age/gender Operational definitions: Clear, precise definitions and instructions about how to observe and or measure the variables under study. Personalized conservation: dialogue in which one party makes referene to things specific to the other party. Norm formation: refers to rules for behavior htat emerge as a group adjusts to some change in routine until the change becomes part of the routine. Cooperation: action taken to assist or meet a request someone makes. Anthropomorphize: act of ascribing human characteristics to something not human. Reliability: the extent to which an operational definition gives consistent results. “Achieves sameresults”Validity: The degree to which the described measure actually measures what it claims to measureHypotheses: predictions about how variables are relatedDependent variable: the behavior to be predicted/explained. Independent variable: the variable that is believed to predict the behavior of interest. Control variables: variables other than the independent variables that are associated with dependent andindependent variables and that researchers hold constant so they can focus on just the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable.Generalizability: the extent to which findings can be applied to the larger population from whicha sample is drawn. Samples: portions of the cases from a larger populationRandom: a type of sample in which every case in the population has an equal chance of being selected Notes: - Globalization/ A Global Perspective assumes that the forces of globalization touch virtually every aspect of our daily lives (experienced locally)Solidarity: system of social ties that connects people to one another and to the wider society. This system of social ties acts as “cement” binding people to each other and to the society. Social action: actions people take in response to othersSociology: The scientific study of human activity in societyColor line: A barrier supported by customs and laws separating non whites from whites, especially with regard to their place in the division of