Welcome to Sociology 3125 .Research Methods and Data Analysis in Sociology

1. 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!)

2. 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.

3. Why is �scientific inquiry� superior to other ways of knowing about society (e.g., religion, intuition, tradition, astrology, magic, commonsense, etc.,)?Scientific inquiry guards against errors common in non-scientific forms of inquiry.

4. 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. 

5. 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). 

6. Errors in Personal Inquiry 3:Selective Observation: When we believe certain things, we are alert to observations consistent with those beliefs, and tend to ignore observations that are inconsistent with our beliefs (e.g., social stereotypes).Science guards against selective observation by specifying exactly how observations are to be made, and rewarding social scientists who point out inconsistencies in the research of others. 

7. 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). 

8. 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. 

9. To review�.the common errors in personal inquiry that social scientific inquiry attempts to guard against are:1. Inaccurate Observation2. Overgeneralization3. Selective Observation4. Illogical Reasoning5. Premature Closure of Inquiry

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. Quantitative research focus on relationships between variables & patterns: Do women & men attempt suicide equally? What variables determine job satisfaction? Is the popularity of a politician rising or falling? What percentage of the population see �climate change� as a major environmental problem?

13. 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?

14. 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.

15. Applied Social Research: Pure Researcher values knowledge for its own sake; Applied Researcher hopes to have an impact on social behavior. Applied Researchers strive to bring about social changes (e.g., increase enrollment at a university, enlarge the viewership for a television program, convince drivers to avoid using cellphones while driving, deter young people from smoking, joining gangs, drinking & driving, etc.,)