Total = 15 slides1Sociology 201:Social Research Design3. Theory and ResearchTotal = 15 slides2Preview•Key concepts we’ll cover today–Attributes and variables–Idiographic and nomothetic–Deduction and inductionTotal = 15 slides3But first. . .Total = 15 slides4It’s ShowtimeTotal = 15 slides5It’s ShowtimeTotal = 15 slides6Now let’s play: Attributes and Variables•Get lots of examples of attributes/characteristics•Identify their variables•Two qualities when measuring variables:–Mutually exclusive–ExhaustiveTotal = 15 slides7Group Work: Creating slippery variables•Create an interesting variable and its attributes•Don’t be boring: i.e., don’t use gender•Write it down •I’ll take any missing picturesTotal = 15 slides8Step Two: Measurement•Trade variables with another group•Devise a way of measuring the variable you received•What are the attributes for your variable?•How could you measure that variable?Total = 15 slides9Two Modes of Explanation•Idiographic –One case–Full explanation•Nomothetic–Cases in general–Partial explanationTotal = 15 slides10Idiographic Explanation•Why did you come to Chapman?•Why else?•What are some more reasons?•Name so many reasons that anyone with all those reasons would have come to ChapmanTotal = 15 slides11Nomothetic Explanation•What’s the main reason students choose Chapman over, say, Fullerton?•What would be the two or three variables that would let us predict whether students will go to Chapman or Fullerton?Notice we couldn’t predict perfectlyTotal = 15 slides12Two Logical Systems•Deductive: from general to specific–Theory–Hypothesis–Observations•Inductive: from specific to general–Observations–Find regular patterns–Generalized explanationsTotal = 15 slides13The circle of scienceTotal = 15 slides14“Lateral Thinking”Paul Sloane and Des MacHale, Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles, NY: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1993• A farmer had 17 sheep. All but 9 died. How many did he have left?• How many animals of each species did Moses take into the Ark?• What do Kermit the Frog and Attila the Hun have in common?• What do you sit on, sleep on, and brush your teeth with?• A man parked his car outside a bank and rushed in. He help up twenty-five people and ran out with $200. A policeman who saw the whole incident stopped the man. He told him off and then let him go. Why?Total = 15 slides15Next Time• “Objectivity and Reality”• Get real• Review Chapter