SOCI 100A Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Anomie, Ethnography, Monogamy
13 Jun 2018
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Sociology 100A: Research methods
Research is a systematic approach to gathering data using an agreed upon set of
methods.
Research is our attempt to understand the world as it really is, not how it is supposed
to be or how we want it to be.
Does research differ from opinion? Intuition?
Deductive approaches begin with theory and use research to see if the theory
explains the results/findings (more macro).
E.g., can the concept of anomie help explain how people with 500 facebook friends
still feeling lonely?
Inductive begins with experiences or date and generates theory from the observations
(more micro).
e.g., have co-ed washrooms at Uvic helped transgender students feel more accepted?
Steps in the research process (think about your tutorial assignment as I go through
each):
1. Formulate the problem- what do you want to find out? Why? How does this
relate to sociology?;
2. Review the Literature- what have others found?;
3. Specify Research Question- that helps you address a gap in existing
knowledge;
4. Develop a Hypothesis- that tests the interaction of variables (i.e., things that
change) (E.g., independent variable- though to cause the change to the
dependent value).
a. for example, which students, male or female achieve higher grades in
intro sociology?
b. Independent = male/female / Dependent = grades
5. Develop a Research Design- e.g., how are you going to gather data?
a. Qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, field research, ethnography) are
the best at finding differences in qualities not quantities.
b. Quantitative methods- (e.g., experiments, surveys, some forms of
secondary data) are best at finding differences in quantity not quality.
c. Both methods attempt to confirm reliability (i.e., your test yield
consistent results) and validity (i.e., your instrument measures what you
think it does).
Two types of jealousies:
Male: fear of partner being impregnated by another
Male = greatest evolutionary threat
Female = fear of losing the emotional bond i.ei may take resources away from her
and her children = greatest evolutionary threat
However, perhaps the greatest challenge to monogamy is economic inequality.
Recent research confirmed “The likelihood [of infidelity] increases the more powerful
someone is”.
“Affluent men are inclined to leave their aging wives, and young women – including
some wives of less affluent men – are inclined to offer themselves as replacements.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Research is a systematic approach to gathering data using an agreed upon set of methods. Research is our attempt to understand the world as it really is, not how it is supposed to be or how we want it to be. Deductive approaches begin with theory and use research to see if the theory explains the results/findings (more macro). Male: fear of partner being impregnated by another. Female = fear of losing the emotional bond i. ei may take resources away from her and her children = greatest evolutionary threat. However, perhaps the greatest challenge to monogamy is economic inequality. Recent research confirmed the likelihood [of infidelity] increases the more powerful someone is . Divorce also perpetrates class exploitation because rich men trade-in their aging wives for young ones. Decreases the number of available and socially attractive women for poor men.
