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Chapter 2: Sociological Inquiry

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Auguste Comte-developed the concept of sociology based on the methods used in the physical sciences

scientific methodthe process a sociologist uses to develop and test theories

peer reviewa process by which research is evaluated by a group of experts in the specific subject area

hypothesis, an educated guess about a relationship between two or more situations, events, or factors

independent variablea factor that causes a change in another variable

dependent variablea factor that is changed by another variable

validitythe extent that the study measures what it claims to measure

operational definitiona clear, concise, and observable measure of the variable

reliability, the extent to which a study yields the same result in repeated studies

quantitative research designdata collection that focuses on exploring correlations by using systematic, numerical, and other objective measures to generalize across groups of people

qualitative research designdata collection using interviews, fieldwork, observation, photos, text, and other subjective measures 

representative samplea subset of the population whose characteristics accurately reflect those of the larger population from which it is drawn

informed consenta signed statement by participants indicating full knowledge of the risks involved, and acknowledgment of the procedures to withdraw from the study at any time willingly

Anonymityconcealing the identities of participants within the research project

confidentialityguarding who has the right of access to the data provided by the participants

  Existing data is plentiful and study can be conducted quickly

ethnographya descriptive account of social life and culture in a particular social system derived from the researcher being embedded over time within a group, organization, or community

participation observationalso called participant observation, a method in which the researcher takes part in the social phenomenon being studied

in-depth interviewa one-on-one open-ended method that probes for deeper meaning and understanding of the responses of the interviewee; useful and effective when dealing with sensitive topics like abuse, racism, and death

content analysisa systematic method of assigning codes to text, video, music, and other media to analyze and infer patterns

snowball sampling, a process in which people in the group being studied introduce the researcher to other people to study

time diary methoda research method in which subjects track their actions at various points in time over several days

Hawthorne effectthe tendency of people to change their behavior when they know they are being watched.

ethicsprinciples of conduct about how you are supposed to behave in a given situation

debriefinga follow-up review of the research

code of ethicsa set of guidelines of appropriate behavior established by an organization for its members to follow

value neutrality or objectivitythe effort to eliminate bias from the research 

sample of conveniencea research sample based on the ease of accessibility of the research subjects.

verstehen (vûrst e hen), an empathetic approach to understanding human behavior