Chapter 2 Flashcards
(26 cards)
cognitive bias
- People tend to accept/believe things that align
with their prior beliefs and values. - People tend to reject/not believe things that go
against their prior believes and values.
what are the consequences of scientific thinking?
Social media information:
* Bleach, garlic soup, silver, cocaine, cow urine
to treat COVID‐19
* Conspiracy theories
* Climate‐change deniers
what is unscientific knowledge based on?
- Casual observation
- Tradition
- Authority
- Overgeneralization
- Selective observation
- Illogical reasoning
a goal of scientific research is to produce “objective” results. what are objective results?
objectivity is assessed by the degree of consistency between the
observations of independent observers.
ex: A hospital wants to ensure that nurses accurately assess patients’ pain levels. Three independent nurses evaluate the same patient using a standardized pain scale. If their ratings are similar, the assessment is considered objective because multiple observers reached a consistent conclusion.
what is a quantitative method:
include surveys (mostly)
and experiments (more rarely), as well as
using existing government statistics, historical
data, etc.
- more “science-y” based”
what is a qualitative method:
include field methods like
observation/participant observation,
ethnography, qualitative interviewing, content
analysis, etc.
- more “artsy” based
what are two examples of research approaches:
- positivist tradition - focuses on finding clear facts through careful observation.
- interpretivist tradition - tries to understand people’s experiences and meanings in their own way.
- quantitative research
- qualitative research
what does positivist tradition focus on?
ex: A researcher studying heart disease collects blood pressure readings from 1,000 patients using the same medical equipment and methods. The goal is to find patterns that apply to everyone, ensuring objective and measurable results.
A positivist focuses on understanding the world through observable, measurable facts and scientific methods. This approach believes that knowledge should be based on what can be seen, tested, and proven — not on personal opinions or beliefs.
- Quantitative
- Social realities are objective
- Best studied through
quantitative research
methods - Measurement often entails
using surveys and statistics
what does interpretivist tradition focus on?
ex: A researcher interviews heart disease patients about how their condition affects their daily lives. The focus is on personal experiences and emotions, recognizing that each person’s perspective is unique.
what are 4 parts to ethical research?
- Voluntary participation
- Harm minimization
- Right to privacy
- Authenticity
define informed consent
Requires participants to acknowledge that they are aware of the risks of participation and are
participating voluntarily
define anonymity
Occurs when a researcher cannot identify research subjects based on evidence
define confidentiality
practice of protecting the identities and personal information of participants in a study, ensuring that while the researcher has access to the data, they agree not to disclose any information that could link individuals to the evidence or findings.
debriefing
interviewing participants after a study to explain the purpose of the research, clarify any confusion, and address any negative effects or ethical concerns, especially if deception was used during the study.
how are quantitative approaches evaluated?
evaluated by:
1. validity - a measure measures what it is inteded to measure
2. reliability - measurement procedure shows consistent results
3. generalizability - measurement can be
generalized to a larger population rather than
just the study sample.
how are qualitative approaches evaluated by?
- authenticity - captures
social realities as experienced by those experiencing them.
ex: researcher interviewing a teacher as their study surrounds teachers having low income. - member evaluation - asking the participants who were observed or interviewed to judge the interviewee and their questions.
what is digital sociology
using technology both as a tool and as a subject of research.
ex: A researcher studies how social media platforms shape political opinions by analyzing posts, comments, and trends on Twitter. Here, technology (social media) is both a tool to collect data and the subject of research, exploring its influence on public discourse.
what is a nonreactive method
- Involve studying social life without affecting the
behaviour of the people involved
ex: seeing if people stop at a stop sign by just watching them without letting them know you are watching them.
what is big data
large sets of data that can be analyzed to uncover patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior.
what are the advatages of big data
Reduces bias by minimizing social desirability.
Accessible to anyone with internet access, often for free.
Offers a broad, diverse view of online behavior and eliminates sampling bias.
what are the disadvantages of big data
May not represent the general population accurately.
Can contain inaccurate or irrelevant data (“dirty data”).
Raises ethical concerns around privacy and potential misuse.
common errors in inquiry: overgeneralization
when you treat an exception as rule. Ex: people who started off living in poverty and worked hard and became rich may lead you to believe that all poor people can become successful by working hard, ignoring the fact that there are still poor people who work hard but remain poor, or the rich people who remained rich and never worked hard.
common errors in inquiry: selective observation
when you ignore evidence that challenges beliefs and pay attention to evidence that confirms them.
common errors in inquiry:
source or error (ex: hoax, conspiracy theory, fake news) because they spread quickly and we don’t stop to think about it
