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WHAT IS THE ROLE OF
RESEARCH IN
UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL
PROBLEMS?
Research Methods
• Research Methods
• Scientific procedures that sociologists use to conduct
studies and develop knowledge about a particular topic
• Necessary to understand and solve social problems
• E.g., inner-city unemployment and networking (Wilson)
• E.g., The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3 (Betty Hart and Todd
R. Risley)
• Objectivity
• The ability to conduct research without allowing the
influence of personal biases or prejudices
• Can any research be completely bias free?
• E.g., word choice – using “homosexual” rather than “gay and
lesbian”
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Research Methods
• Variables
• Things we want to know about
• E.g., impact of college degree on getting a job
• Independent Variables
• Factors that are deliberately manipulated in an experiment
• E.g., college degree
• Dependent Variables
• The response
• E.g., getting a job
• Control variables
• Factors that are kept constant to accurately test the impact of
an independent variable
• E.g., race and gender
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Research Concepts
• Cause and Correlation
• One of the most misunderstood concepts in research
• Causal Relationship
• One in which a condition or variable leads directly to a certain
consequence
• Rare in sociology; some say it is impossible
• Causation
• Relationship between cause and effect
• E.g., being around someone with a cold and catching a cold
(causation or correlation?)
• Correlation
• An indication that a factor might be connected to another
factor
• E.g., education and income (correlation or causation?)
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Research Concepts
• Correlations exist in three forms:
• Positive Correlation
• Involves two variables moving in parallel
• Variables must increase or decrease together
• E.g., decrease unwanted births, decrease crime (Steven
Levitt)
• Negative Correlation
• Occurs when the variables move in opposite directions
• E.g., decline in union membership, increase in wage
inequality – 1973-2007 (Bruce Western and Jack
Rosenfield)
• Spurious Correlation
• Occurs when two variables appear to be related, but
actually have separate causes
• E.g., ice cream sales and violent crimes
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Quantitative Data
• Refers to data based on numbers and used for macro analysis
• Qualitative Methods
• Qualitative Data
• May include interviews, pictures, photos, or any other type of
information that comes to researcher in a non-numerical form
• Data tends to be used for microanalysis
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Six Steps of Social Research
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Triangulation
• Triangulation
• The process of using multiple methods to study a
phenomenon
• E.g., William Julius Wilson’s work
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ethical Concerns
• Ethics
• A system of values or principles that guide one’s behavior
• Researchers must be professionally competent
• All sociologists have a professional and scientific
responsibility
• Ignore personal belief and opinions
• Show integrity and never coerce their subjects
• Scientists need to show respect for people’s
rights, dignity, and diversity
Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.