Welcome to Sociology 3125….Research
Methods and Data Analysis in Sociology
David Hall
Office: A327
Office Hours: Friday, 10:00- noon.
Phone: 474-3450 ext.4354
e-mail: davidh@nipissingu.ca (simple
questions only!)
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Social Statistics and Data Analysis-Lecture 1-Sociology-Dr David Hall, Lecture notes of Social Statistics and Data Analysis
Research Methods and Data Analysis in Sociology. Evaluating information, Human social behaviors, Scientific inquiry, Inaccurate Observation, Bystander intervention, Overgeneralization, Illogical reasoning, Personal Inquiry, Nomothetic Explanations, Applied Social Research Social Statistics and Data Analysis, Lecture Slides, Sociology, Dr David Hall, Nipissing University, Canada
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Welcome to Sociology 3125….Research
Methods and Data Analysis in Sociology
David Hall
Office: A
Office Hours: Friday, 10:00- noon.
Phone: 474-3450 ext.
e-mail: davidh@nipissingu.ca (simple questions only!)
What is this course about?
The science of discovering, testing,
& evaluating information.
The logic & methods of social
scientific inquiry.
Ways of understanding, explaining,
and predicting human social
behaviors.
Errors in Personal Inquiry 1:
Inaccurate Observation: Most of the
time most of us are casual & sloppy in
our observations (as shown in numerous
bystander intervention studies in social
psychology). Social Science strives to
minimize errors in observation through
deliberate planning & measuring of
observations.
Errors in Personal Inquiry 2:
Overgeneralization: We often assume that a
few similar events (a small set of similar`
observations) are evidence of a larger pattern.
Science guards against overgeneralization by
paying attention to the representativeness of
our sample observations, and by attempting to
replicate research findings from other social
scientists (doing a research project again but
with a different sample or modified research
design).
Errors in Personal Inquiry 4:
Illogical reasoning: Permeates our
everyday thinking (e.g., the “exception
that proves the rule”; the “gambler’s
fallacy”; “Murphy’s laws”, etc.)
Science strives to minimize illogical
reasoning by explicit use of logic (e.g.,
inductive and deductive reasoning).
Errors in Personal Inquiry 5:
Premature closure of inquiry occurs when we
think we have found the truth or the answer.
But history shows that what we know (even what
we think we know for certain) changes over time.
It follows that we can know nothing with certainty
and, ALL closure of inquiry is premature! To
counter this error, science strives to remain
“open - ended”, where conclusions & truths are
seen as relative & partial, rather than absolute &
final.
Idiographic Explanations strive to
explain a single case as fully as possible…by uncovering what is unique, peculiar, or distinct about the case. Not concerned with generalizing.
Nomothetic Explanations strive to
explain a class of cases rather than a single case. Nomothetic explanations aim for partial rather than complete explanations. Nomothetic explanations are common in sociology, especially in quantitative research.
Quantitative Research
Strives to quantify (map with numbers)
observations.
Precise measurement, hypothesis
testing, statistical analysis.
Attempts to be objective.
Comes out of the Positivist Tradition.
Qualitative research focus is on descriptive
explanations of behavior & experience:
How social networks operate, how individuals relate, perceive, and interpret behavior.
What is it like to be a prisoner?
How do good gamblers get inferior gamblers to play?
How do nurses handle patients who refuse to follow instructions?
How do men and women interact in social settings?
Pure versus Applied Social Research:
Pure researchers try to understand patterns of social behavior using various research techniques. Goal is better descriptions & explanations of human behavior.
1. Pure research tests existing social theories.
2. Pure research attempts to explain observed patterns of behavior.
3. Pure research tries to document our knowledge of patterned human behavior.