Introduction to Social Science Research

Introduction to Social Science Research

• Scientific knowledge is founded on agreement, direct experience and observation, logic, and empirical support.
• Agreement reality is what we "know" through shared cultural understanding.
• Epistemology is the science of knowing, while methodology is the science of finding out.

Chapter 1: Beginning Principles

• Knowledge is often acquired through tradition and authority, which offers advantages but also potential drawbacks.
• Causal reasoning assumes future events are caused by present ones, while probabilistic reasoning suggests effects occur more often when causes are present.
• Inductive reasoning generalizes from specific observations, while deductive reasoning starts with a theory and draws conclusions.
• The links between theory and research are crucial for understanding society and developing solutions to its problems.
• Researchers must be aware of their biases while conducting research.

Chapter 4: Structuring a Research Project

• Research projects can be exploratory, descriptive, or explanatory.
• Exploratory research seeks to understand a topic better, test feasibility, and develop methods.
• Descriptive research aims to describe situations and events accurately.
• Explanatory research attempts to understand and explain phenomena, using either a nomothetic (general) or idiographic (specific) approach.
• A research question should be feasible, specific, ethically sound, concise, clear, and answerable.
• Hypothesis is a testable statement about relationships between variables.

Chapter 5: Social Measurement

• Measurement is the careful observation of the real world to describe objects and events.
• Conceptualization involves agreeing on the meaning of terms, resulting in a concept.
• Three categories of things scientists measure are direct observables, indirect observables, and constructs.
• Sampling frames are lists of individuals in a population.
• Quota sampling selects individuals based on known population characteristics.
• Nonprobability sampling methods include reliance on available subjects, purposive sampling, snowball sampling, and quota sampling.
• Probability sampling methods assure each element in the population has a known non-zero probability of being selected.
• Simple random sampling assigns numbers to population units and randomly selects based on generated numbers.
• Systematic sampling selects every kth unit from a list.
• Stratification divides a population into homogeneous groups before sampling.
• Cluster sampling involves multistage sampling of natural groups.

Sampling Methods

• Nonprobability sampling:
  • Reliance on available subjects: uses readily accessible individuals, but is risky for generalization.
  • Purposive sampling: selects subjects based on their relevance to the research question.
  • Snowball sampling: relies on referrals from existing participants.
  • Quota sampling: matches sample characteristics to those known about the population.
• Probability sampling:
  • Simple random sampling: every element has an equal chance of being selected.
  • Systematic sampling: selects every kth element from a list.
  • Stratified sampling: ensures proportionate representation of subgroups.
  • Cluster sampling: samples groups and then selects individuals within those groups.

This quiz covers the foundational concepts of social science research, focusing on epistemology, methodology, and the significance of various reasoning methods. It examines how knowledge is formed through cultural understanding and the critical relationship between theory and research. Enhance your understanding of the principles that guide social science inquiry.