Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

the findings of the procedure to be duplicated and researched by other sociologists by providing guidelines for evidence collection. Questions must have observable and verifiable factual answers. Scientific inquiry insists that every event has a cause; under the right circumstances, that cause will always result in the same effect. There are two types of empirical research , research that uses direct observation through sight and sound: • Descriptive studies: Explain what is happening and why. • Explanatory studies: Explain how things are happening and why. Sociologists examine a plethora of cause and effect relationships. When enough of the same type of observation is present, they can make a generalization, or label a sociological concept, which can be either tangible or intangible. These concepts are often variables in the research being done. A variable is a characteristic that is subject to change. For example, age can be a variable. When one variable is seen to have an influence on another variable, causation has been found. The two types of variables that exist are: • Independent variable: The variable that does the influencing. • Dependent variable: The variable that is influenced. Generally, sociologists have an idea of what is going to happen. They use generalizations, or statements of likelihood, not certainty, to hypothesize. To actually determine if a cause and effect relationship exists, a sociologist must establish that a correlation exists between the studied behaviors. To determine whether a causal relationship exists, sociologists will also use controls to eliminate any other possible reasons for the observed results. Qualitative vs. Quantitative: Applied research methods are either qualitative or quantitative in nature. Quantitative methods use measurable quantities; numbers and statistics are common elements of a quantitative study. Qualitative methods use a verbal form of description. The strengths and weaknesses of each method are continually debated in scientific circles. Researchers often decide on which method to use based on their own personality or thinking style along with their culture or organization of origin. The following table illustrates the main differences between the two methodologies. Distinguishing Features of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Qualitative Quantitative Goal: Complete, detailed description. Goal: Order features, count specifics, create models – all in an effort to explain observations. Advance knowledge: Researcher has only a rough estimate or hypothesis of what to look for. Advance knowledge: Researcher clearly knows what data he/she is looking for.

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