1. Social Research

2. Nonscientific Sources of Knowledge
Intuition
Common sense
Authority
Tradition

3. Criteria For a Cause-and-effect Relationship
Change in independent variable must be associated with a change in dependent variable.
The correlation must not be due to the effects of a third variable.
The independent variable must always occur before the dependent variable.

4. Surveys Can draw on large samples Quantitative Include many variables
Relatively precise
Permit the comparison of responses.

5. Precollected data Permits high quality research. Low cost
Reveals changes in variables over an extended period of time.

6. Positive and Negative Correlations

7. Mode, Mean, and Median of Salaries

8. Research Methods: Surveys
Advantages
Precision and comparability of answers.
Use of statistical techniques.
Information on large numbers of people.
Detailed analysis.

9. Research Methods: Surveys
Disadvantages
Expensive
Low response rate.
Phrasing of questions introduces bias in favor of certain answers.
Researchers’ behavior can affect answers given.

10. Research Methods: Secondary analysis
Advantages
Inexpensive.
Can study a topic over a long period of time.
Researchers’ influence on subjects avoided.

11. Research Methods: Secondary analysis
Disadvantages
Information collected for a different reason may not suit researcher’s needs.
Original researcher may have introduced biases.
Information may be outdated.

12. Research Methods: Experiment
Advantages
Can be replicated.
Variables can be manipulated.
Inexpensive.
Permits establishment of causation.

13. Research Methods: Experiment
Disadvantages
Environment is artificial.
Not suited to most sociological research.
Number of variables studied

14. Research Methods: Case Study
Advantages
Provides depth of understanding from members’ view.
Unexpected discoveries and insights can be incorporated.
Permits study of social behavior not feasible with quantitative methods.

15. Research Methods: Case Study
Disadvantages
Difficult to generalize findings from one group to another.
Presence of researcher can influence results.
Hard to duplicate.
Takes lots of time.
Difficult to be accepted as a group member.

16. Steps in the Research model
Identifying the problem.
Reviewing the literature.
Formulating hypotheses.
Developing a research design.
Collecting data.
Analyzing data.
Stating findings and conclusions.

17. Ethics and Sociological Research
Sociologists are committed to:
Objectivity
Highest technical research standards
Accurate reporting of their methods and findings
Protection of the rights, privacy, integrity, dignity, and autonomy of the subjects of their research.