2/19/2016

Remember: sociology is a science

We use the scientific method

What does that include?

2/19/2016

Durkheims The Rules of Sociological

Method established a set of parameters
for research on society

1. It must have a specific object of study.

In other words: its intentional, not accidental
2. It must use a scientific method, avoiding
subjectivism and prejudice.
In other words: its data-driven, not intuitive

Avoid biases and fallacies

Ensure that our findings are valid, believable

Demonstrate that weve used appropriate data, that
its been collected and analyzed appropriately, and
that our interpretations make sense

2/19/2016

THEORY

Data

Qualitative, quantitative, or mixed

Analysis

Statistical or content-oriented; always

about search for patterns

Interpretation

What have we learned about how life

chances vary for different groups in
different circumstances?

What patterns exist in the ways that people

act and think?
How common are these patterns?
How do these patterns [STRUCTURES] affect
the life chances of different groups?

2/19/2016

1. Be describable

3. Be documented

2. Be organized

4. Be purposeful

5. Be understandable

6. Be focused on society

7. Be connected to theory (for sociology)

8. Be ethical

2/19/2016

Question
Interpretation
of Findings

Methods

THEORY
Analysis
Approach

Levels of
Analysis
Data

What pattern do we observe in ways that people

act and think?
How common is this pattern?
How does a specific SOCIAL or CULTURAL
STRUCTURES affect the life chances of different
groups?

2/19/2016

Question
Interpretation
of Findings

Methods

THEORY
Analysis
Approach

Levels of
Analysis
Data

Quantitative

Qualitative

Ideal for dynamics we want to

count or enumerate

Ideal for dynamics we want to

describe

Broad but specific understanding

Deep understanding

Lots of cases, few variables

Small # of cases, many variables

Emphasizes causality

Emphasizes changes, processes,

meaning-making

Methods

Methods

Impersonal / Interpersonal

2/19/2016

Ethnography;
Interviews;
Part. Obsv.;
CBPR

HistoricalComp;
Discourse
Analysis

Surveys;
Experiments

Secondary
data analysis
(census,
World Values
Survey, etc)

Qualitative / Quantitative

Whats a question or research topic that

would be well-served by developing a
quantitative approach? Why?
Whats a question or research topic that
would be well-served by developing a
qualitative approach? Why?

2/19/2016

Its been suggested that its harder to

remain neutral when using qualitative
methods (relative to using quantitative
methods).

Why would this be the case?

Do you agree or disagree?

Top-down, theory
driven
Starts from
hypothesis about the
relationship between
variables
Data collected and
analyzed to test
whether the
hypothesis is true

THEORY
HYPOTHESIS
DATA
FINDINGS

2/19/2016

Starts from a
collection of data
points or facts
Explanation for the
relationship between
them is built
Data and findings
suggest theoretical
claims

DATA

What would a
deductive
approach be to
inquiring into the
experience of
people with
biracial
backgrounds who
are detained by
the police?

EXPLANATION
THEORETICAL
CONNECTION
FINDINGS

What would an
inductive
approach be to
inquiring into the
experience of
people with
biracial
backgrounds who
are detained by
the police?

2/19/2016

Question
Interpretation
of Findings

Methods

THEORY
Analysis
Approach

Levels of
Analysis
Data

MACRO
meso
micro

10

2/19/2016

MACRO: broad
social dynamics like
class, gender, race,
democracy
Meso: often
institutions, like
schools, churches, or
neighborhoods
Micro: individual,
inter-personal

MACRO

Imagine you are

considering a research
project on high school
graduation rates in San
Diego County.

MACRO

Identify two or three

social or cultural
structures that could be
included at each level
of analysis.
They can be
independent or
dependent variables.

meso
micro

meso
micro

11

2/19/2016

Question
Interpretation
of Findings

Methods

THEORY
Analysis
Approach

Levels of
Analysis
Data

Universe

Population

Sample

The entire set of individuals

in the broadest category
youre working with
Everyone who fits all of the
criteria
The individuals who are
actually included in the
study

Universe
Population

Sample

12

2/19/2016

independent
independent

independent

DEPENDENT

What relationship do you

predict between your
independent & dependent
variables?
Check the causal direction
of your hypotheses!
What is the magnitude of
the relationship, what
interactions might there be
between IVs, are they
from appropriate levels of
analysis, etc

Question
Interpretation
of Findings

Methods

THEORY
Analysis
Approach

Levels of
Analysis
Data

13

2/19/2016

Quantitative
(statistical)

Descriptive
Statistics
Inferential
Statistics

Qualitative
(coding text)

Descriptive
Explanatory
Interpretive

What do we now know about theory

and/or the life chances of particular
groups that we didnt know before?
Whats new?

Whats important?

Where should this research be repeated

and why?
What are its limitations?

14

2/19/2016

Weber,
Simmel
Chicago
School
Ethnography
Frankfurt
School

Origin stories of broad social

phenomena; Verstehn, HistoricalComparative, Ideal types
start talking to people being
studied/described
start living with people being
studied/described, originally highly
interpretive
incorporate study of material objects,
inner lives; look but dont touch;
concepts from Freud, psychology

15

2/19/2016

Increased emphasis on reflexivity

Increased interest in interactions, intersectionality
Increased acceptance of grounded theory,
inductive models of research
Decreased acceptance of interpretive approaches
who are we to say what the truth is?

The fields move towards reflexivity, and

honoring subjectivity of experiences
aligns with an ever increasing desire to
be minimally intrusive.

16

2/19/2016

Paradigm-changing studies

Tuskegee syphilis study (1930s 1970s)

Nuremberg war crime trials (1940s)

Stanley Milgrams obedience experiments at

Yale (ca. 1960), Philip Zimbardo and the Stanford

Prison Experiments (ca. 1970)

Incorporation of human rights, human

subjects protections into research protocols

HEW report
on Tuskegee
Syphilis Study
(1973)

National Commission for the Protection

of Human Subjects of Biomedical and
Behavioral Research

Belmont Report (1979)

Respect for
Persons

Beneficence

Justice

17

2/19/2016

To protect research
subjects
To maintain honesty and
openness
To achieve valid results

To encourage appropriate
application

Avoid harming research participants

Obtain informed consent
Avoid deception in research (except in
limited circumstances)
Maintain privacy and confidentiality

18

2/19/2016

Obligations vis a vis

scientific community:
Keep peers in
the loop
about studies

Be willing to
disclose
details about
methods

Publish
findings

Research is justified

Appropriate methods used

Findings reported appropriately

19

2/19/2016

What use are the findings

going to be put to?

Internal Review Boards (IRB)

IRB approval process

Signed consent vs. verbal consent

Professional organizations protections

Opportunities to file complaints

20

2/19/2016

Social Science
Research

Weber

Descriptive
approaches

Data, findings
are neutral
about any
change/reco
mmendations

Academic
Publications

Prescriptive
approaches

Data, findings
are in the
service of
change

Social Justice
Pub. Policy
Evaluation

21

2/19/2016

Theres no such thing as a truly unbiased

study

Activity: take the Implicit Bias Test at

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeates
t.html

Our goal is to manage, mitigate, or

minimize our biases.

Pursuit of falsifiability

Inclusion of inconvenient facts

Openness to findings we dont like or dont expect

Transparency

Reflexivity
Documentation of methods and processes
Appropriate data collection techniques

Enlightened Skepticism

Remain open minded

Question everything
Beware of paralysis

22