SYO 3100 - Chapter 2 Notes

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Sociology

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Feb 20, 2024

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SYO 3100 Family & Society 1/18 Family Life Now: Chapter 2 “Understanding Families Through Research and Theory” “Science is humankind’s exploration of how the world works. Religion, philosophy, art, mythology, and literature have also historically attempted to quench the insatiable thirst of human inquiry, but science is distinguished from these other modes of exploration and explanation by the methods used to discover and to know. The exploration to discover and understand often begins with a simple inquiry. When examining social and individual processes by engaging in and using methods beyond logic, common sense, intuition, or reason alone, we engage in scientific inquiry-in the practice of social science research” UNDERSTANDING FAMILIES THROUGH RESEARCH Social Science Research  Research is important because it enables social scientists, family practitioners, psychologists, and sociologists to develop family theories and family education programs, create family policies that strengthen and serve today’s families, and better understand societal trends.  Social Science Research  Research: to study thoroughly using the process of scholarly or scientific inquiry  Social science research: the scholarly discipline used to examine human society and relationships  When conducting research in the social sciences, researchers examine behaviors, emotions, and relationships.  Relying on logic or common sense frequently “limits us to the familiar." Furthermore, everyone sees things differently based on different value systems, political beliefs, religious beliefs.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Question 1** ______ means to study thoroughly using the process of scholarly or scientific inquiry. A. Research B. Question C. Statistics D. Ethics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Research Method: Start to Finish  From Start to Finish  Scientific method: a process by which social science researchers formulate questions concerning social and individual phenomena and seek out answers  Quantitative research: uses statistical methods to count and measure outcomes from a study; a systematic attempt to define, measure, and report on the relationships between elements that are being studied  Qualitative research: involves detailed verbal or written descriptions of characteristics under investigation; typically involves observation and interviews to collect data  Step 1: Choosing the Research Topic  Investigators choose to examine topics for a variety of reasons: a concern with a social issue or problem; a great interest in a particular area of behavior; desire to examine the validity of a certain theory; financial or professional incentives.  Once a research topic is chosen, the investigator needs to determine which variables to study.  Variable: a characteristic that is measured in a study  Step 2: Choosing the Question  Research question: the research hypothesis  Before researchers pose a research question or hypothesis, they must first have a clear understanding of the problem and a clear vision of their objective.  Literature review: an exhaustive search of the existing research studies related to a topic of inquiry  This process allows researchers to get a better grasp on the scope of the problem and all aspects related to the research topic.  Hypothesis: a speculative statement about a variable or the relationship between variables in a study  Step 3: Conceptualizing the Research

 Conceptualization: the process by which the researcher specifically denotes or indicates all of the concepts—or constructs—under investigation  Construct: refers to intangibles  Step 4: Using Operational/Empirical Definitions  Because constructs are mental creations and words may have different connotations, it is important that researchers come to a workable definition for the constructs under investigation.  At the research's outset, researchers create operational definitions that describe or characterize the constructs (concepts) being studied.  Step 5: Choosing the Research Method  Surveys  Observational research  Case study  Experimental design  Step 6: Selecting a Population and Sampling  Population: the entire group of people who shared an experience  Probability (random) sample: each person has the same likelihood (probability) of being selected for the study  Representativeness: the degree to which the characteristics of the population are represented by the sample  Sample size: affects the degree to which the sample is considered to be representative  Nonprobability samples: not selected randomly but are used when the use of probability samples is impossible  Step 7: collecting, Processing, and Analyzing Data  It is vitally important for novice researchers to understand the relevance and necessity of each step in the design process.  A poor research design almost always produces poor research results.  Step 8: Applying Research Findings  Once a researcher collects, processes, and analyzes the data generated from the research, the study's findings are usually presented in a format for scholars, researchers, policy makers, or other users. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Question 2**

A social scientist is conducting a study that seeks to understand what color of car most consumers prefer. The researcher sends out a survey to over 1000 households. The percentage of households that respond to the survey is known as ______. A. Conceptualization B. the response rate C. the sample size D. hypothesis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Step 5: Choosing the Research Method  Survey  Survey: A Structured questionnaire comprising a list of questions  Sample: A group of people from whom researchers collect survey responses  For a questionnaire or survey to yield valuable information that reflects the characteristics of the population being studied, it must be well constructed and well designed.  Unbiased  Easily understood by study respondents  Carefully worded and nonobjection able  Response Rate  Response rate: the percentage of the study subjects who respond to the survey  Universally, a response rate of 50 percent is adequate for analyzing data; 60 percent is good, and a 70 percent response rate is very good.  Survey Drawbacks  There are some inherent problems with surveys.  Response bias: overreporting or underreporting certain behaviors  Do surveys reliably assess human behavior, attitudes, and experiences?  Validity: speaks to the extent that a researcher is able to provide an empirical definition that reflects the true meaning of what is being studied  The validity of survey research is often criticized because the questions may not really measure what the researchers claim they are measuring.  Observational Research  Observational research method: a systematic process in that (1) the observation is systematically planned, (2) the data are gathered and recorded in a systematic format, and (3) checks and balances assess the reliability and validity of the observations  Field research: more natural setting  Three purposes of using observational research:  Observational research may be performed for purposes of description.  This research method is used when the subject matter does not lend itself to other methods.

 Observational research is appropriate when other research methods are inaccurate.  Case Study  Case study: involves study of either a single person or a small group of people; often used to obtain an in-depth understanding of emotional or behavioral patterns  Aside from the drawback of being time consuming for the researcher, case study methodology findings may be limited in that they are not typically generalizable to the larger population.  Experimental Design  Experimental design: used to determine causal relationships among variables.  An experimental design consists of two groups:  Experimental group: the group that is exposed to the independent variables under question  Control group: treated exactly the same as the experimental group, except they are not exposed to the independent variable  A limitation of experimental research is that the laboratory is an artificial environment to study human response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Question 3** Dr. Harsin is studying a very rare type of cancer that only affects 1 in every 100 million people. Due to having access to only a hand full of affected people available to her during her study, which type of research methodology should she use? A. experimental research B. literature review C. case study D. ethnography ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BECOMING A CONSUMER OF THE LITERATURE Making Sense of it All: How to Read Social Science Literature  Are the purposes of the research and/or the hypotheses clearly stated?  Be wary of research that does not specifically state the intended purpose of the research or present a clearly stated research hypothesis at the outset.

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