SOCIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION

THREE WAYS OF DOING SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH Positivist Sociology Interpretive Sociology Critical Sociology

POSITIVIST SOCIOLOGY The study of society based on systematic observation of social behavior (Macionis, p. 29). Assumes that an objective truth exists It is up to scientists to discover this truth through empirical evidence Information we can verify through our senses Usually done through long term observation What is objectivity? Personal neutrality in conducting research.

ARE THE FOLLOWING STUDIES DONE OBJECTIVELY? A study on the amount of people who watch Fox News (a conservative television station) and prefer Republican presidential candidates. A study that seeks to find out if white children behave better than children of other races. A study that seeks to measure the link between culture and religiosity drawing upon the observation of various cultures.

INTERPRETIVE SOCIOLOGY The study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world (Macionis, p. 33). Focus of sociology is INTERPRETATION Focus on people’s understanding of their actions and their surroundings. Reality is subjective (constructed) Favors qualitative data Perceptions of how people see their world Why do people do things?

CRITICAL SOCIOLOGY The study of society that focuses on the need for social change (Macionis, p. 34). Sociologists using this type of investigation seek to change society and the character of research. Personal identification with subjects Society is not a fixed subject Focus on the “should be” Typically political and biased Seek to give a voice to those who don’t have one E.g. feminism

METHODS OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH EXPERIMENTATION Tests a hypothesis Sets independent and dependent variables Gathers data to determine if hypothesis is valid or invalid Repeated testing verifies the conclusion SURVEY People respond to questions in a survey or an interview Uses a target population and sample size Questionnaires provide a series of questions to respond to Interviews are questions asked in person Questions need to be specific and unambiguous!

Participant Observation The sociologist joins the subjects they are researching in order to observe them Done in the “natural” setting No specific hypothesis to test may yet exist

LIMITATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIOLOGY Human behavior can be unpredictable Sociology shows how groups of people would TYPICALLY act or react No person thinks or acts the same way E.g. How would you react to a baby crying loudly in a restaurant? Humans respond to their surroundings If a researcher is present, people will act in a way they believe the researcher wants them to Known as the Hawthorne Effect

Social patterns change over time Humans do not behave in the same way now as they did a hundred years ago What attitudes and behaviors can you think of that have changed? Sociologists are part of the world they study, therefore no study can be 100 percent value free Sociologists all have personal values that may impact what they study Bias comes to play at times

NOW YOU BE THE INVESTIGATOR! With a partner, design a sociological study Answer the following questions: 1) What is your topic? 2) What do you think is already known about the subject? 3) What questions are you looking to answer? 4) What would you need to do in order to carry out the research and find the answer to your questions? 5) Are there ethical concerns or potential bias? 6) What method will you use? (Positivist, Interpretive, Critical) 7) How will you record the data? (Experimentation, Survey, Interview, Observation)