Vermette - PP - Chapter 2 - Sociological thinking and research

Introduction to SociologyNinth Edition

Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier,

Richard P. Appelbaum, & Deborah Carr

Chapter 2Asking and AnsweringSociological Questions

Copyright © 2014, W.W. Norton & Company

Asking and Answering Sociological Questions

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• Sociology is:– (a) a pseudoscience.– (b) a science like the natural sciences.– (c) a science unlike the natural sciences.


Learning Objectives

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• Basic Concepts– Learn the steps of the research process and be able to

complete the process yourself – Name the different types of questions sociologists address

in their research—factual, theoretical, comparative, and developmental

• Asking and Answering Sociological Questions: Historical Context– Contrast Park’s and Ogburn’s visions of sociology as a

science– Understand their influence on contemporary sociological

research

Copyright © 2014, W.W. Norton & Company 4

• Asking and Answering Sociological Questions Today: The Research Process– Familiarize yourself with the methods available to

sociological researchers and know the advantages and disadvantages of each

• Unanswered Questions– See how research methods generate controversies and

ethical dilemmas for sociologists

Learning Objectives


• Eight stages in the research process– 1. Defining the research process–What are the gaps in our understanding

about the topic?–What puzzles haven’t been solved?

Basic Concepts


Basic Concepts

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• Eight stages in the research process– 2. Reviewing the evidence–What questions have been raised?–How have others approached the problem?

– 3. Making the problem precise– Formulating hypothesis that are testable


Basic Concepts

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• Eight stages in the research process– 4. Working out a design–Deciding what method (surveys, interviews,

participant observation, etc.) works best

– 5. Carrying out the research–Gathering facts and data according to the

research design–Dealing with unanticipated problems


Basic Concepts

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• Eight stages in the research process– 6. Interpreting the results–Answering initial questions– Evaluating hypotheses

– 7. Reporting the findings– Research reports, articles, books

– 8. Repeat


Basic Concepts

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Asking and Answering Sociological Questions: Historical Context

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• Sociologists explore four types of questions:• Factual or empirical• Comparative• Developmental• Theoretical


Asking and Answering Sociological Questions: Historical Context

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• Sociology at the University of Chicago, beginning in the 1920s, was extremely influential in shaping the discipline.

• Robert Park focused on interviews and firsthand observations.

• William Ogburn suggested that sociology should be more scientific and rely on statistics.


Asking and Answering Sociological Questions Today: The Research Process

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• Ethnography– Participant observation, interviews– Generates rich, deep data– Typically not generalizable




• Surveys– Generate a lot of data from large

numbers of people– Appropriate for statistical analysis– Random sampling of the population to

generate a sample, thus improving ability to generalize



• Surveys– Can be superficial–May lead to inaccurate results



• Experiments– Control conditions to establish cause

and effect– Hard to replicate findings from

controlled settings in natural settings





• Comparative Research– Comparison of behaviors, attitudes, or

other aspects of social life across time, place, or group

– Use any of the other research methods to gather data for making comparisons





Unanswered Questions

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• Understanding Cause and Effect of Social Context– Correlation is not the same as causation– Variables may be related to each other

but not responsible for change in another



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• Human Subjects and Ethical Dilemmas– Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)– Research must conform to ethical guidelines

– Acquire informed consent– Minimize invasions of privacy– Minimize risks to participants– Ensure confidentiality– Avoid deception



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• Can We Really Study Human Social Life in a Scientific Way?– Sociology is a science guided by a

theoretical approach and based on empirical investigation


Concept Quiz

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What is one major difference between natural sciences and social sciences like sociology?(a) The natural sciences do not include humans as the subject of their studies.(b) The findings in social science are never certain, whereas natural scientists are able to discover indisputable facts.(c) Social sciences require a more careful negotiation of the issues of influence, power, and subjectivity than do most natural sciences.


Concept Quiz

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What is the definition of a hypothesis?(a) a conclusion regarding a given state of affairs that is informed by the results of the scientific process(b) an idea or guess about a given state of affairs put forward as the basis for empirical testing(c) a secondary argument put forth in a scientific report that supports the main argument being made


Concept Quiz

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Which of the following research methods is most suitable to the way that Robert Park envisioned sociology?(a) experiments(b) surveys(c) interviews(d) ethnography


Concept Quiz

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In survey research, ___ is one of the best ways to ensure conclusions can be generalized to the whole ___ .(a) random sampling; population(b) a pilot study; scientific community(c) statistics; sample(d) a questionnaire; country


Concept Quiz

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A study of the influence of family income on educational achievement finds a correlation coefficient of 0.4 between income and number of years of higher education achieved. What is one possible conclusion of this study?(a) Family income is not a significant factor in educational achievement.(b) While a low income adversely affects the likelihood of achieving a higher education, other factors might as well.(c) Having a low income is the single most important factor in why poor people are unable to acquire higher education..


Concept Quiz

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What is the primary role of theory in scientific research?(a) It helps to explain empirical observations.(b) It helps differentiate between real facts and opinions.(c) It helps to disprove hypotheses.(d) It allows researchers to make conclusions about the world even when empirical data is not available.


Discussion Question: Thinking Sociologically

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Suppose the dropout rate in your local high school increased dramatically. Faced with such a serious problem, the school board offers you a $500,000 grant to study the sudden increase. Following the recommended procedures outlined in the text, explain how you would conduct your research. What hypotheses might you test? How would you prove or disprove them?


Explain the advantages and disadvantages of documentary research. What will it yield that will be better than experimentation, surveys, and ethnographic fieldwork? What are its limitations compared with those approaches?

Discussion Question: Thinking Sociologically

This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 2

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Vermette - PP - Chapter 2 - Sociological thinking and research