SOAN 2120 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Tacit Knowledge, Explicit Knowledge, Hawthorne Effect

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology and Anthropology
• Course: SOAN 2120
• Professor: D Walters

Document Summary

Survey is most widely used data-gathering technique used in sociology, developed within a positivist approach. Highly religious: knowledge (who was elected mayor in last election?) Survey responses have very little connection to the actual behaviours exhibited by employers who said they would hire criminal offenders. An association among variables is measured with statistical techniques; researchers think of alternative explanations, measure variables that represent alternative explanations, then examine effects to rule out alternatives. Keep it clear, keep it simple, keep respondent"s perspective in mind: avoid jargon, slang and abbreviations (nato has may meanings, avoid ambiguity, confusion and vagueness. What is your income weekly, monthly, annually?, before or after taxes, this year or last year, salary or from all sources: avoid emotional language. What do you think about a policy to pay murderous terrorists who steal the freedoms of peace-loving people : avoid prestige bias.