Sociology 1020 Lecture 2: How Sociologists do Research

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 1020
• Professor: Michael Haight

Document Summary

Sociolog 1020 lesson 2 how sociologists do research. In everyday life, our biases easily influence our observations. Biases often lead us to draw incorrect conclusions about what we see. 10 common errors are regularly found in unscientific thinking. I"ve been in this field for 20 years & i know what is going on: premature closure of inquiry, mystification. The research cycle: theory research theory research then repeat. 2 primary approaches to conducting sociological research. The 4 main methods in sociological research: Each of these 4 methods generally fits within 1 of the 2 approaches. Ask people questions about their knowledge, attitudes, or behavior either in a face-to- face, telephone or paper-and-pencil interview. Questionnaires may contain 2 types of questions: open-ended & closed-ended. Classifying & counting behavior of interest according to predetermined scheme. Involves carefully observing people"s face-to-face interactions & participating in their lives over a long period of time.