SOCI 120 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Formal System, Research, Dependent And Independent Variables
Document Summary
Chapter 2- sociological investigation (mixed in lecture notes but mainly book ) Explains the process of sociological investigation or how sociologists gather info . Ex. tribes putting dead sh on crops no scienti c base. Science (a logical system that bases knowledge on direct systematic observations) represents another way of knowing. Scienti c knowledge is based on empirical evidence: info we can verify with our senses. ** common sense statements are not always factually true ** Used to label aspects of social life. Ex. the family, the economy, gender, social class. Measuring sociological variables can be more dif cult must look to other things to determine. Concept: a mental construct that represents some part of the world in an simpli ed form. Variable: concept whose values changes from case to case the use of variables depends on measurements: a procedure for determining the value of a variable in a speci c case.
