SOCI 217 Study Guide - Winter 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Grounded Theory, Dependent And Independent Variables, Nomothetic
SOCI 217
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Week 1- Human Inquiry and science
• What are some things about the social world that you know for sure?
▪ earth is round
• everyone knows
• experts tell us, we trust their expertise
Looking for reality
• A. ordinary human inquiry
• B. tradition
• C. Authority
• D. Errors in Inquiry and some solutions
• E. What’s really real?
• Agreement reality
o What we know as part and parcel of the culture we share with those around us
• Experiential reality
o What we know from personal experience and discovery
• Epistemology: the science of knowing
o Methodology, a subset of epistemology: the science of finding out
Ordinary human inquiry
• We as homo sapiens, see predisposed to:
o Use causal reasoning
o Use probabilistic reasoning
o Predict future events by understanding why things are related to one another
• Human inquiry aims at what and why
Tradition
• Information passed on through socialization
• Acquired from culture, social institutions, common knowledge
• Cumulative knowledge
• Problems:
o Can limit inquiry, as we rarely want to see things in a different light than
perceived by everybody
o Can lead to prejudice, close-mindedness, and culture relativism
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Authority
• Comes from those who hold some status and expertise
• Pros
o Trusting the judgement of experts in a field can help human inquiry
• Cons
o Authority figures can make mistakes and misuse their position of authority
o Inquiry can be hindered by legitimate authorities that are within their own fields
o Halo effect where we generalize that the expertise is great
o The advertising industry misuses authority
Errors in inquiry and some solutions
• Inaccurate observations
o Casual, semiconscious observation -> mistake
o We may miss information – lose accuracy
o Solutions:
▪ Good and precise measurements
• Overgeneralization
o Assuming that few similar events are evidence of general pattern
o Solutions:
▪ Try to look at all of your data
▪ Replication: repetition of a research study in order to either confirm the
findings of a previous study or bring them into question
• Selective observation
o Concentrating on observations that fit the pattern or theory we are using to
explain a particular phenomenon, while ignoring other sources of data
o Solution: look for deviant cases
• Illogical reasoning
o Reaching conclusion that is not logical
o Solutions:
▪ Use conscious and explicit systems of logic
▪ Ask if conclusion necessarily follows from the premise
What is real
• Premodern view
o View that has guided most of human history
o They saw things as they really were
• Modern view
o Accepts diversity at legitimate and philosophical
o There is, however, an external objective reality
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Week 1- human inquiry and science: what are some things about the social world that you know for sure, earth is round, everyone knows, experts tell us, we trust their expertise. Ordinary human inquiry: we as homo sapiens, see predisposed to, use causal reasoning, use probabilistic reasoning, predict future events by understanding why things are related to one another, human inquiry aims at what and why. Authority: comes from those who hold some status and expertise, pros, trusting the judgement of experts in a field can help human inquiry, cons, authority figures can make mistakes and misuse their position of authority. Inquiry can be hindered by legitimate authorities that are within their own fields: halo effect where we generalize that the expertise is great, the advertising industry misuses authority. Illogical reasoning: reaching conclusion that is not logical, solutions, use conscious and explicit systems of logic, ask if conclusion necessarily follows from the premise.
