SOC 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Blue Brain Project, General Social Survey, Ethnography
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SOC 201
MIDTERM No. 2
MARCH 9th
Chapter 6
OBSERVATIONAL METHODS
Quantitative Method:
• Requires variables. Outcomes must be countable.
• Tests hypotheses
• Typically uses large samples
• Data are numerical
• Results are expressed as comparisons of numbers
• Less depth and nuance
• Often previous experience or research is required
• Easier to provide objective results
• Methods are well-defined and reproducible
Qualitative Methods:
• Observe and report.
• Describes people, their behavior, their environment.
• Typically uses smaller samples
• Data are non-numerical
• Results are expressed as verbal descriptions and narratives
• More depth and nuance
• A good place to start
• More difficult to remain objective
▪ One’s own biases
▪ Biases of the observed
• Methods may be impossible to reproduce
Naturalistic observations:
• Field Work
• Researchers make observations in a natural setting over a period of time
• Used to describe and understand how people in a social or cultural setting live, work, and
experience the setting
Process
• Describes setting, events, and the person
• Analyze the categories that emerge
• Researches must interpret what occurred
• Generate hypothesis that helps explain what was observed
• Write a final report of results
Problem
• Researcher participation can affect what is to be observed
• Research concealment poses ethical quandaries
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