SOC-2010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Participant Observation, Informed Consent, Content Analysis
13 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Once you answer one sociological question, another one will always come up. Overview of research methods and the scientific method. Research methods standard rules that scientists must follow when performing experiments to find a relationship between two elements. Quantitative methods seek to find information in numerical form. Qualitative methods seek to find information that cannot be readily put into numerical form. Deductive approach: start with a theory, develop a hypothesis, make observations/analyze data, conclude if you can reject, confirm, or modify a theory. Inductive approach: start with an observation, works to form a theory. Limits of everyday thinking : unquestioned trust of authorities, common sense, and traditional beliefs, generalized opinions based on past experiences, rely on biased/selective observation and interpretation. Concepts mentally ideas that show the world in a simple form. Operationalization defines variables into measurable factors, allows fuzzy" concepts to be measured empirically and quantitatively.
