C L A S S I I Theory And Research 01 2010

WelcomeWelcome

Class: Introduction to Class: Introduction to SociologySociology

Course, 1000; Section, 380Course, 1000; Section, 380Instructor: John R. Carlson, Ph.D.Instructor: John R. Carlson, Ph.D.

A G E N D AA G E N D A

Textbook Issue?Textbook Issue? Re-align seating per group;Re-align seating per group;

Navigating CE6 portal;Navigating CE6 portal; - accessing/entering discussion- accessing/entering discussion question responses;question responses; - accessing slideshare (i.e., repository site - accessing slideshare (i.e., repository site

containing supplementary information; containing supplementary information; power point presentations, articles);power point presentations, articles);

Review discussion/essay grading criterion;Review discussion/essay grading criterion; Essay Discussion;Essay Discussion;

Wysk, Brandi K. @01133177

Urban, Theresa J. @00203137

Scott, Carissa A. @00035078

Bonhomme, Kesler @00005060

Lynn, Michael R. @00054466

Bartholomew, Corwin J. @00159451

Marriage & Family

Sielert, Mary A. @01009453

Graham, Heather D. @01016243

Garside, David A. @00037656

Baker, Adrienne E. @00112447

Dixon, Joshua R. @00036422

Rivera, Wendy A. @00148358

Morrison, Heather H. @01067679

Economic Group

Mugica, Vanessa @01011174

Howard, Jeanette M. @00047210

Smith, Antoinette R. @00037248

Virgile, Ange @00054853

Schaller, Sheila K. @00042443

Santiago, Chantal @00159512

Miller, Angela M. @01140959

Education

Noble, Jason R.

@00054752

Chapman, Ashley M.

@00061889

Markstahler, Alyse S.

@01116134

Hewitt, Candace D.

@00150629

Dieseldorff, Krystelle

@00056759

Cooper, Aaron W. @00049024

Religion Group

Matzicoff, Anjuli J. @00017415

Francois, Lovely K. @00014102

Jones, Eric D. @00040591

McDuff, Melanie C. @01119831

Butz, Tracy L. @00027849

Burgess, Jordan L. @00057191

Powell, Alexandra A. @00034163

POLITICAL INSTITUTION GROUP

Expository Style:Expository Style: Opening paragraphOpening paragraph Body; closingBody; closing

Proper GrammarProper Grammar PunctuationPunctuation Tense, spelling, etc.Tense, spelling, etc.

RhetoricRhetoric-- terms; conceptsterms; conceptsLogicLogic-- examples; statistical supportexamples; statistical supportEfficientEfficient-- brief, concisebrief, conciseEffectiveEffective-- clearclear

YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR WORK PROOFREAD PRIOR TO SUBMITTING IT FOR PUBLIC REVIEW; FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT HAVE MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007, I SUGGESTED THAT YOU COULD DOWNLOAD, FREE OF CHARGE OPEN-OFFICE SOFTWARE; CONTAINS SPELL/GRAMMAR CHECKER AKIN TO MICROSOFT WORD

1.People with low self esteem stay in abusive relationships.The independant variable is low self esteem and the dependant variable is abusive relationships. People who don't value themselves on a high level are more apt to stay in a realtionship that is detremental. It could be mentally, physically, or a combination of the two. Since they don't think of much of themselves, they don't expect others to treat them any better.

2. Self esteem issues are mainly developed in childhood.The independant would be self esteem and the dependant would be childhood. If a parent constantly talks down to a child, that child will in turn start to believe that he or she is in fact worthless. Children are just starting to form emotions and therefore are very impressionable and fragile. Another way that the ego can be broken is taunting peers. Soon the child will grow up with this insecuriety installed in them.

Sociology is the study of people and cultures blending together and interacting as a whole in society. Its funtcion is to use that study to predict how to handle future social interactions and social economy.

What do sociologists actually do? This is often a central question that students have when taking an introduction course. Can you answer that question? Go to the American Sociological Association website (asanet.org) and construct a resource handout that answers this question.

RANK AMONG THE TOP 25 PROFESSIONS IN THE COUNTRY?

SOCIOLOGISTS SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD BY

ADVANCING SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC DICIPLINE AND

PROFESSION.

SOCIOLOGISTS:

*CONDUCT RESEARCH & DRAW CONCLUSIONS BY OBSERVING AND INVESTIGATING SPECIFIC SOCIAL GROUPS.

*EXPLORE SOCIAL PATTERNS AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF SOCIAL GROUPS.

*EXAMINE AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN HUMANS.

SOCIOLOGISTS SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD BY

ADVANCING SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC DICIPLINE AND

PROFESSION.

WHAT DOES A SOCIOLOGIST DO, YOU ASK?.

SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY THE SOCIAL LIVES OF PEOPLE IN MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS AND SOCIETIES

SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY PEOPLE’S BEHAVIORS BY BLENDING ALL STUDIES OF HUMANKIND WHICH

ALSO INCLUDES HISTORY, PSYCHOLOGY AND ECONOMICS

SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY HOW PEOPLE INTERACT THROUGH THE WAY INDIVIDUALS MOVE THROUGHOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES

Is sociology a scientific discipline. Provide three reasons to support your position.

Discipline meaning what? As we discussed, there is prevailing underlying structure of science. The scientific method being the basis for which scientific knowledge is furthered.

Science, has two division, applied and pure scientific branches.

While last, but not least, scienceadheres to certain ethical standards that become fundamental to their respective fields.

Does the field of sociology contain these three components?

YOU NEED TO INCORPORATE WITHIN YOUR ESSAY, TANGIBLE EXAMPLE, TO FULLY ADDRESS THIS. IN OTHER WORDS, FOR THIS ESSAY, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SELECT AN EMPIRICAL ARTICLE PERTINENT TO YOUR ASSIGNED GROUP TOPIC, TO SERVE AS THE BACKDROP FOR YOUR DISCUSSION

Example, where to find suitable topics that are scientifically researchable. PLEASE NOTE HOW SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ARE VERY PRECISE, IN TERMS OF TARGETTING A PARTICULAR SITUATION (I.E. FORMULATION OF AND TESTING THEREIN OF A HYPOTHESIS)

WALL STREET JOURNAL EDUCATION SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 Charter Schools Pass Key Test in Study By JOHN HECHINGER and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN New York City students who win a lottery to enroll in charter schools outperform those who don't win spots and go on to attend traditional schools, according to new research to be released Tuesday. The study, led by Stanford University economics Prof. Caroline Hoxby, is likely to fire up the movement to push states and school districts to expand charter schools -- one of the centerpieces of President Barack Obama's education strategy.

MANUSCRIPT

The New York City Charter SchoolsEvaluation ProjectHow New York City’s CharterSchools Affect AchievementSeptember 2009reporting on results throughthe 2007-08 school yearPrincipal Investigators:Caroline M. Hoxby, Sonali Murarka, Jenny Kang

The Big PictureCapturing the Forest then

the Trees Presented at our first class session, we addressed how Sociology is classified as being one of the social

sciences. Please name the other social sciences and define

these disciplines

Psychology concerned with the behavior,

feelings and thoughts of individuals as influenced by social stimuli and/or the person’s physiology.

The subfield of abnormal psychology is concerned with mental disorders, ranging from psychoses to neuroses

The applied field of clinical psychology offers direct patient-care mechanisms to treat mental problems in individuals.

Political Science The scientific study of how

societies govern the people; Analyzes the role of government in

regulating people’s behavior, as well as

How and to what degree it serves to protect societal members of threats (i.e., internal and external)

as well as influencing/regulating services, goods

and resources (i.e., energy, commodities, etc.)

Anthropology. Anthropology is a broad social science

concerned with the study of humans from a social, biological and cultural perspective

Physical anthropology divides into two areas, one related to tracing human evolution and the study of primates, and the other concerned with contemporary human characteristics stemming from the mixture of genetic adaptations and culture.

Sociocultural anthropology is concerned with broad aspects of the adaptation of humans to their cultures— with social organization, language, ethnographic details, and, in general, the understanding of culturally mitigated patterns of behavior

Economics It is perhaps the oldest of the social

sciences, with its concern with wealth and poverty, trade and industry

Concerned with understanding how societis distribute, value and produce and/or import goods and services.

Microeconomics is largely concerned with issues such as competitive markets, wage rates, and profit margins. Macroeconomics deals with broader issues, such as national income, employment, and economic systems

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

A cross-disciplinary social scientific discipline.

Social psychologist study the relationship between (the) individual(s) in affecting the

Social groups and societal context as well as how social group affiliation and society

Affect (the) individual(s).

Sociology

It is the social science discipline that study’s human society and social interaction, in group settings.

Science is the study of the Science is the study of the material world using material world using human reason.human reason.

Science, by definition, Science, by definition, limits itself to what can limits itself to what can be observed, measured be observed, measured and verified, known as and verified, known as empiricism.empiricism.

August Comte The “founder of

sociology.” Comte believed

objective knowledge was attainable only through science rather than religion.

Positivism is a belief that the world can be understood through scientific inquiry.

Dimensions Of Comte’s Positivism

Methodological - the application of scientific knowledge to physical and social phenomena.

Social and political - the use of such knowledge to predict the likely results of different policies so the best one could be chosen.

Theory

A set of logically interrelated statements that attempt to describe, explain and predict outcomes.

Levels of Sociological Analysis

Class lets begin to identify the various Sociological Theories

There are 4 major sociological theories;

Please someone, identify the most conservative theory among the 4;

We will be talking about each of the theories, comparing and contrasting them in terms of the Marriage and Family Institution, what you indicated is the most popular of all the social institutions.

Marriage and Family Discussion

Drawn from the textbook I adopted for my marriage and family course;

Lamanna, Mary Ann & Agnes Riedmann. 2000. (7th Edition) Marriages and Families: Making Choices in a Diverse Society. Wadsworth Thomas Learning Publishing Company. ISBN 0-534-52507-5

Major Sociological Theoretical Major Sociological Theoretical ApproachesApproaches

I . Symbolic InteractionI . Symbolic Interaction

Levels of Analysis Micro-SociologicalMicro-Sociological

Nature of Society A social reality continuously A social reality continuously created through social created through social interaction.interaction.

Basis ofSocial interaction

Shared symbols and meaningsShared symbols and meanings

Focus of Analysis Individuals of social Individuals of social actorsactors

Major Sociological Theoretical Major Sociological Theoretical ApproachesApproachesII. Social II. Social Exchange; Exchange;

aka Post Modernismaka Post Modernism

Levels of Analysis Micro-SociologicalMicro-Sociological

Nature of Society A social reality continuously A social reality continuously created through social interaction.created through social interaction.

Basis ofSocial interaction

Social Reciprocity Elementary Social Reciprocity Elementary Forms of Social BehaviorForms of Social Behavior

Focus of Analysis Postindustrialization, Postindustrialization, consumerism, and global consumerism, and global communications bring into communications bring into question assumptions about social question assumptions about social life and the nature of realitylife and the nature of reality

Major Sociological Theoretical Major Sociological Theoretical ApproachesApproaches

III. Structural/FunctionalIII. Structural/Functional

Levels of Analysis

Macro-Macro-SociologicalSociological

Nature of Society A social system A social system consisting of consisting of interdependent unitsinterdependent units

Basis ofSocial interaction

Consensus deriving from Consensus deriving from shared beliefs and values.shared beliefs and values.

Focus of Analysis Social order and the Social order and the perpetuation of societyperpetuation of society

Levels ofAnalysis

Macro-Macro-

SociologicalSociologicalNature ofSociety

A social order characterized A social order characterized by competing groups and by competing groups and classes, each pursuing its classes, each pursuing its own interestsown interests

Basis ofSocial interaction

Conflict and coercionConflict and coercion

Focus ofAnalysis

Competition for control of Competition for control of limited resourceslimited resources

IV. CONFLICT THEORYIV. CONFLICT THEORY

Chapter 2Chapter 2

Sociological Research Sociological Research MethodsMethods

Chapter Outline

Why is Sociological Research Necessary?

The Sociological Research Process

Research Methods Ethical Issues in Sociological

Research

Sharpening Your Focus

What is the relationship between theory and research?

What are the steps in the conventional research process?

What can qualitative methods add to our understanding of human behavior?

Theory and Research Cycle

A theory is a set of logically interrelated statements that attempt to describe, explain, and predict social events.

Research is the process of systematically collecting information for the purpose of testing an existing theory or generating a new one.

The theory and research cycle consists of deductive and inductive approaches.

Conventional Research Model

1. Select and define the research problem.

2. Review previous research.

3. Formulate the hypothesis.

4. Develop the research design.

5. Collect and analyze the data.

6. Draw conclusions and report the findings.

Theory and Research Cycle

Deductive Approach

1. Theories generate hypotheses.

2. Hypotheses lead to observations.

3. Observations lead to the formation of generalizations.

4. Generalizations are used to support the theory, suggest modifications to it, or refute it.

Inductive Approach

1. Specific observations suggest generalizations.

2. Generalizations produce a tentative theory.

3. The theory is tested through the formation of hypotheses.

4. Hypotheses may provide suggestions for additional observations.

Sociology and Scientific Evidence

Many sociologists believe that two basic scientific standards must be met:

1. Scientific beliefs should be supported by good evidence or information.

2. These beliefs should be open to public debate and critiques from other scholars, with alternative interpretations being considered.

Sociology and Scientific Evidence

Sociology involves debunking, unmasking false ideas or opinions.

Two approaches: Normative Empirical

Hypothesis Defined

A predict statement derived from a theoretical perspective,

that ascribes how two or more variables relate to each other.

Variables

The independent variable is presumed to cause or determine a dependent variable.

The dependent variable is assumed to depend on or be caused by the independent variable(s).

Demonstrating Cause-and-Effect Relationships

1. You must show that a correlation exists between the variables.

2. You must ensure that the independent variable preceded the dependent variable.

3. You must make sure that any change in the dependent variable was not due to a variable outside the stated hypothesis.

Cause and Effect Relationships

Why do older African American men have a lower rate of suicide than older white males?

Questions like this are the foundation for study as sociologists try to understand cause-and-effect relationships.

Variables

Independent Dependent Intervening

Hypothesized Relationships Between Variables

Causal Relationship

Hypothesized Relationships Between Variables

Inverse Causal Relationship

Hypothesized Relationships Between Variables

Multiple-cause Explanation

Question

In a medical study, lung cancer could be the _____ variable, while smoking could be the ______ variable.

a. dependant, independent

b. independent, dependant

c. valid, reliable

d. reliable, valid

Answer: a

In a medical study, lung cancer could be the dependant variable, while smoking could be the independent variable.

Operational Definition An explanation

of an abstract concept in terms of observable features that are specific enough to measure the variable.

The operational definition of an A may be an exam average of 90% or above.

Question

Validity is the extent to which a study or research instrument:

A. accurately measures what it is supposed to measure.

B. yields consistent results.C. approximates a true

experiment.D. relies on other variables to

preserve validity.

Answer: A

Validity is the extent to which a study or research instrument accurately measures what it is supposed to measure.

Validity The extent to which a study or

research instrument accurately measures what it is supposed to measure.

Reliability

The extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results when applied to different individuals at one time or to the same individuals over time.

Sharpening Your Focus Why is it important to have a

variety of research methods available?

Why is a code of ethics for sociological research necessary?

Triangulation

Combining multiple methods in a given study.

Triangulation refers not only to research methods but also to multiple data sources, investigators, and theoretical perspectives in a study.

Multiple data sources include persons, situations, contexts, and time.

ASA Code of Ethics

1. Disclose research findings in full and include all possible interpretations of the data.

2. Safeguard the participants’ right to privacy and dignity while protecting them from harm.

ASA Code of Ethics

3. Protect confidential information provided by participants.

4. Acknowledge research collaboration and disclose all financial support.

Sampling

In random sampling, every member of an entire population being studied has the same chance of being selected.

In probability sampling, participants are deliberately chosen because they have specific characteristics, possibly including such factors as age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment.

Research and Social Factors Sociological

research looks at factors that motivate suicide bombers.

Some researchers might ask why suicide bomber Raed Abdel-Hameed Mesk would take his own life while committing a terrorist attack.

Research Methods

Specific strategies or techniques for systematically conducting research.

Qualitative Research Method

1. Researcher begins with a general approach rather than a highly detailed plan.

2. Researcher has to decide when the literature review and theory application should take place.

Qualitative Research Method

3. The study presents a detailed view of the topic.

4. Access to people or other resources that can provide necessary data is crucial.

5. Appropriate research method(s) are important for acquiring useful qualitative data.

Survey Research

Describes a population without interviewing each individual.

Standardized questions force respondents into categories.

Relies on self-reported information, and some people may not be truthful.

Survey Definitions

Respondents are persons who provide data for analysis through interviews or questionnaires.

A questionnaire is a printed research instrument containing a series of items to which subjects respond.

An interview is a research method in which an interviewer asks the respondent questions and records the answers.

Surveys and Polls

Conducting surveys and polls is an important means of gathering data from respondents.

Computer-assisted Telephone Interviewing

The widespread use of answering machines, voice mail, and caller ID may make this form of research more difficult in the twenty-first century.

Research Methods: Field Research

Study of social life in its natural setting.

Observing and interviewing people where they live, work, and play.

Generates observations that are best described verbally rather than numerically.

Field Research

How might sociologists study the ways in which parents and their college-age children cope when the students first leave home.

Approaches to Field Research

Participant observation Collecting observations

while part of the activities of the group being studied.

Ethnography Detailed study of the life and

activities of a group of people over a period of years.

Approaches to Field Research

Case Studies - In-depth, multifaceted investigation of a single event, person, or social grouping. A collective case study

involves multiple cases. An unstructured interview is an

extended, open-ended interaction between an interviewer and an interviewee.

Ethnographic Research Sociologist Elijah

Anderson’s 14 year study of two Philadelphia neighborhoods— one populated by low-income African Americans, the other racially mixed but increasingly middle- to upper income and white—is an example of ethnographic research.

Research Methods: Secondary Analysis of Existing Data

Materials studied may include: books, diaries, poems,

graffiti, movies, television shows, advertisements, greeting cards, music, art, and even garbage.

Experiments

Study the impact of certain variables on subjects’ attitudes or behavior.

Designed to create “real-life” situations.

Used to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between variables.

Non Laboratory Settings

Natural experiments may be conducted when an unforeseen event occurs. What adaptation strategies did these people use during the massive power outage in the northeastern United States?

Effective Research Methods

Which methods might be most effective in learning about the problems of the homeless, such as these street people warming themselves on a warm grate in Moscow, Russia?

Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methods

Research

MethodStrengths

Weaknesses

Experiments

(Laboratory,

Field, Natural)

Control over

research.Ability to isolate

experimental factors.Little time

and money required.

Replication possible, except for

natural experiment

s.

Artificial Reliance

on volunteers or captive audiences.

Ethical questions

of deception.

Statistics: What We Do and Don’t Know

Homelessness

in the U.S.

Suicide in the U. S.

Explanation

The homeless often avoid interviews with census takers.

Critics assert the actual number may be 3 million and that the government intentionally

undercounts them.

Census data places Latino/as in the category of whites.

Other than African Americans, people of color are listed as nonwhite—other.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methods

Research Method

Strengths Weaknesses

Survey Research

(Questionnaire, Interview, Telephone

Survey)Useful in describing features of a large population without

interviewing everyone

Relatively large samples possible

Multivariate analysis possible

Potentially forced answers

Respondent untruthfulness onemotional issues Data that are not

always “hard facts” presented as such

in statistical analyses

Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methods

Research Method

Strengths Weaknesses

Secondary Analysis of

Existing Data

(Existing Statistics, Content

Analysis)

Data readily available.

inexpensive to collect.

Longitudinal and comparative

studies possible.Replication possible.

Difficult to determine

accuracy of data.Failure of data

gathered by others to meet goals of current research.

Questions of privacy when using

diaries, other personal

documents.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Research Methods

Research Method

Strengths Weaknesses

Field Research (Participant

Observation, Case Study, Ethnography

, Unstructured

Interview)

Gain insider’s view.Useful for studying behaviors in natural

settings.Longitudinal

studies possible.Documentation of social problems of groups possible.

Problems generalizing results.

Non-precise data measurements.Inability to test

theories.Difficult to make

comparisons.Not representative.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative research focuses on data that can be measured numerically.

Qualitative research focuses on interpretive description rather than statistics to analyze underlying meanings and patterns of social relationships.

Analyzing Content

Examination of cultural artifacts or forms of communication to draw conclusions about social life.

Cultural artifacts are products of individual activity, social organizations, technology, and cultural patterns.

Among the materials studied are diaries, love letters, poems, books, and graffiti, movies, television, advertisements, and greeting cards.

Correlation Versus Causation

A study might find that exposure to a suicide hot line is associated with a change in attitude toward suicide.

If some of the students who were exposed to the hot line also received psychiatric counseling, the counseling may be the “hidden” cause of the observed change in attitude.

Correlations alone do not prove causation.

Hawthorne Effect

A phenomenon in which changes in a subject’s behavior are caused by the researcher’s presence or by the subject’s awareness of being studied.

Understanding Statistical Data Presentations

1. Read the title.

2. Check the source and explanatory notes.

3. Read the headings for each column and row.

4. Examine and compare the data.

5. Draw conclusions.

Statistics: What We Do and Don’t Know

Homelessness in the U.S.

Suicide in the U. S.

Research Finding

At least 250,000 people in the U.S.

are homeless.

At least 32,439 Americans

committed suicide in 2004.

Possible Problem

Does that underestimate the

number of homeless people?

Are suicide rates different for some categories of U.S.

citizens?

U.S. Suicides, by Sex and Method Used, 1984 and 2004

Method Males Females

1984 2000 1984 2000

Total 22,689 25,566 6,597 6,873

Firearm 14,504 14,523 2,609 2,227

Poisoning 3,203 3,200 2,406 2,600

Suffocation 3,478 5,980 863 1,356

Grounded Theory

Researchers who use grounded theory collect and analyze data simultaneously. For example, after in-depth

interviews with 106 suicide attempters, researchers in one study concluded that half of the individuals who attempted suicide wanted both to live and to die at the time of their attempt.

Zellner Research

Sociologist William Zellner wondered if some automobile “accidents” were actually suicides.

By interviewing people who knew the victims, Zellner hoped to obtain information that would help determine if the deaths were accidental or intentional.

Zellner Research

When he recruited respondents, he suggested their participation might reduce the number of accidents in the future; but didn’t mention that he suspected autocide.

From the data he collected, Zellner concluded that at least 12% of the fatal single-occupant crashes were suicides.

Quick Quiz

1. The scientific method is based on the assumption that knowledge is best gained by:

A. direct observationB. systematic observationC. the support of good

evidenceD. the possibility for public

debateE. all of these choices

Answer: E

The scientific method is based on the assumption that knowledge is best gained by: direct observation, systematic observation, the support of good evidence and the possibility for public debate.

2. With _____ research, the goal is scientific objectivity, and the focus is on data that can be measured numerically.

A. inductive

B. deductive

C. quantitative

D. qualitative

Answer: C

With quantitative research, the goal is scientific objectivity, and the focus is on data that can be measured numerically.

3. _____ exists when two variable are associated more frequently than could be expected by chance.

A. Multiple causation

B. Regression relation

C. Correlation

D. Spurious relation

Answer: C

Correlation exists when two variable are associated more frequently than could be expected by chance.

4. Reliability is the extent to which a study or research instrument:

A. measures the phenomenon it is intended to measure.

B. yields consistent results.

C. approximates a true experiment.

D. relies on other variables to preserve validity.

Answer: B

Reliability is the extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results.