Social Science: Research, Inquiry and Questioning

• Social Science is the study of human behavior.
• Anthropology studies humans, their origins, behavior, and physical, social, and cultural development.
• Sociology is the study of human social behavior, including individuals, groups, and societies.
• Psychology studies the human mind, mental states, and human behavior.
• The Social Science Inquiry Model represents a process students use to investigate events, developments, and issues.
• Quantitative research involves learning about a group of people, known as a sample population.
• Qualitative research gathers participants' experiences, perceptions, and behavior.

Types of Questioning

• Factual questions seek specific, concrete information.
• Example: "Who is he/she?"
• Predictive questions make a forecast about future outcomes.
• Example: "Where are they going?"
• Analytical questions examine cause and effect relationships.
• Example: "What can be done to help homeless people?"
• Application questions use knowledge to solve real-world problems.
• Example: "How can Psychology help improve the workplace?"

Research Ethics

• Protection ensures participants are protected from physical and psychological pain.
• Informed Consent requires participants to be aware of the research's purpose and their right to withdraw at any time.
• Privacy ensures individual privacy is protected.
• Debriefing involves informing participants of the true nature of the research if deception was necessary.
• The Zimbardo Prison Case violated social science ethics because students took their roles too seriously, inflicting violence on other students portraying inmates.

Research Methods

• Case Studies conduct in-depth analysis of a single subject or group.
• Observation involves watching behavior in natural settings.
• Experiments are controlled studies to test hypotheses.
• Sample Surveys collect data from a representative group.
• Participant Observation involves the researcher immersing themselves in a group's environment.
• Primary sources are firsthand evidence, while secondary sources are information gathered from other sources.
• Ethics in social science research are important to ensure guidelines related to protection, consent, privacy, and debriefing are followed.

Miscellaneous

• ISTJ means Introverted, uses senses, a thinker, and judges more.
• Careers related to Anthropology include archaeologists, museum workers, curators, and forensic anthropologists.
• Careers related to Psychology include therapists, human rights workers, teachers, social workers, and marketing specialists.
• Careers related to Sociology include urban planners, human rights workers, social workers, and child care workers.
• The Bystander Effect occurs when people are less likely to help in a crisis if others are present.
• Social scientists explain the Bystander Effect through diffusion of responsibility, where individuals assume someone else will act.

Early Psychology Questions

• What is the mind?
• How does the mind relate to the body?
• How do people gain knowledge?
• What role does experience play in shaping behavior?
• What is consciousness?

Overview of social science disciplines: anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Exploration of the Social Science Inquiry Model and quantitative/qualitative research methods. An examination of different types of questioning techniques.