SOAN 2120 Lecture : Jan.25 Lecture

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SOAN 2120
• Professor: Scott Schau

Document Summary

Usually divides a principle problem into more manageable sub problems. Guided by the specific research problem, question, hypothesis. Requires collection/interpretation of data in an attempt to resolve the problem that initiates research. Is, by nature, cyclical or, more exactly, helical. Want to find reasons why things happen (can t simply look at choice)-look at reasoning. Attitudes and behaviours can be traced back so that researchers can determine if they are valid. Scientific explanations rest on the idea that events and conditions have causes. A language of variables [dependant variable (effect) is explained by the presence of the independent variable (cause)]-looking at relationship w/2 variables- outcome of dependant variable is determined by independent variable. In social sciences, a cause is not necessarily followed by an effect-mainly b/c we don t know all of the effects/conditions. Causation models in social science are often probabilistic-when talking about cause and effect, we are talking about probability.