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In Search of Social Regularities

In Search of Social Regularities. Social scientific logic and theory: Searching for regularities in social life. Probabilistic Social regularities involve aggregate actions and situations of social groups Elements of social scientific theory are not people, but variables. Variables.

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In Search of Social Regularities

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  1. In Search of Social Regularities

  2. Social scientific logic and theory: Searching for regularities in social life • Probabilistic • Social regularities involve aggregate actions and situations of social groups • Elements of social scientific theory are not people, but variables.

  3. Variables • Vary across units of analysis • Unit of analysis – the entity that is being studied in research • Individuals • Small groups • Social organizations • Geographic units • Social artifacts • What to do with units? • Describe units using variables • Compare units to discover patterns • Develop theories to explain patterns

  4. Examples – How can we describe and compare… • Individuals – gender, age, level of formal education, type of occupation, attitude toward abortion • Small groups – level of cohesion, frequency of interaction, ethnocentrism • Social organizations – size, type of ownership, level of formality • Geographic units – population size, ethnic composition, form of government • Social artifacts – function, cost, content

  5. Attributes • Characteristics or qualities that describe a particular unit of analysis • Examples • Individuals – female, 22 years old, high school graduate, plumber, favors abortion • Small groups – low cohesion, meets once a week, hostile toward outsiders • Geographic units – (Country) 75 million people, 67% Hispanic, communist government • Variables are logical groupings of attributes

  6. Two major types of variables in social scientific theory, methods, and data analysis • Independent variable • Variable that is presumed or found to influence/affect/cause another variable • Dependent variable • Variable that is presumed or found to be influenced/affected/caused by an independent variable

  7. Relationship between two variables

  8. Same relationship displayed in a table Percentages Summed to 100% Down Columns

  9. No relationship between variables

  10. No relationship - #1

  11. No relationship - #2

  12. Typically, a variable can be either independent or dependent, depending on the research question • Practice: Develop one research question in which the variable is a DV affected by another and a second in which it is an IV affecting another variable. • Level of formal education • Yearly income level • Opinions of the President • Size of universities • Type of economic system • Number of violent crimes

  13. If a variable cannot be changed by another social variable, it will always be used as an IV For example: • Age (biological age) • Gender assigned at birth However, stated differently, these can change into DVs: • Perceived age • Gender identity, gender transition process

  14. Understanding IVs and DVs is critical, because in social science, we’re interested in discovering regularities/patterns and developing theories to understand/explain them.

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