SOC101Y1 Chapter 3: Research Methods
“Research Methods,” in Commit Sociology, vol 2 p321-352
Asking theoretically informed questions
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Sound theory with careful methods
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Introduction
Criminal justice system is designed to avoid error
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Science designed to avoid error --> not perfect / flawed
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Perspective
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Values and expectations filter reality
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How can we know what we really see is true?
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Science is not simply fact and proof, complicated social activity
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Ex: Mendel's biology experiment: allowing bias to change his results
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Social Practice
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Open scrutiny and skeptical reasoning --> challenge science / verify ideas
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Ideas are subject to peer review
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Research results must be able to be replicated
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If scrutiny is not rigorous and probing, it is of little value.
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Doubt --> challenge
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Follow rules that reduce risk of bias
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Without values and expectations, there are no creative new ideas
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Objectivity stresses that observations should be free of the distorting effects of a person's
values and expectations
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Subjectivity is still important to the scientific process
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Creativity of new explanations, and assessment of whether explanations are plausible
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Theory: explanations of how the world works
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Methods: ways of assessing the veracity of explanations
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Minimizing Bias in Social Science
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Disputed the popular that science begins with observation
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Problem of induction --> cannot infer next observation
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Against Francis Bacon
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Collection of facts is useless unless you understand how to interpret them
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David Hume (1711-76)
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Science is not a collection of facts, but a method of collecting facts
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Observations refuting a well-conceived idea are more important than evidence
supporting or proving a theory
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Science does not start by gathering raw facts, but a question / conjecture
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For an idea to by scientific it must have testable implications --> must be falsifiable
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Sir Karl Popper (1977)
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Observations based on well-reasoned methods can ferret out error and
misunderstanding, but cannot guarantee universal truth or perfect certainty
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Uncertainty --> science cannot offer certainty
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Scientific V. Non-scientific thinking
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Scientific method: set of practices or procedures for testing knowledge claims --> true for
both chemists and sociologists
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Natural v. Social Science
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Lecture 1.3: Reading - Research Methods
September 24, 2016
12:13 PM
READINGS Page 94
Document Summary
12:13 pm (cid:862)research methods,(cid:863) i(cid:374) co(cid:373)(cid:373)it ociology, vol (cid:1006) p(cid:1007)(cid:1006)(cid:1005)-352. Criminal justice system is designed to avoid error. Science designed to avoid error --> not perfect / flawed. Science is not simply fact and proof, complicated social activity. Ex: mendel"s biology experiment: allowing bias to change his results. Open scrutiny and skeptical reasoning --> challenge science / verify ideas. Research results must be able to be replicated. If scrutiny is not rigorous and probing, it is of little value. Without values and expectations, there are no creative new ideas. Objectivity stresses that observations should be free of the distorting effects of a person"s values and expectations. Subjectivity is still important to the scientific process. Creativity of new explanations, and assessment of whether explanations are plausible. Methods: ways of assessing the veracity of explanations. Disputed the popular that science begins with observation. Problem of induction --> cannot infer next observation.
