Sept 18th 2018 Soci 217 Research Design and the Logic of Causation Three Purposes of Research · 1. Exploration o Helps researchers become familiar with specific topics o Often done with examining a new intrest or subject o Typically done for 3 purposes: o Satisfy curiosity and desire for better understanding o Test feasibility of undertaking a more extensive study Develop the methods to be used in subsequent studies o Valuable in social scientific research- new ground, new insights, and a source of grounded theory construction o Inductive o When we don't know much about a phenomeneon, not enough data on it o Limitations " Seldom provides satisfactory answers to research questions · Subjects often not representative of the larger population of ntrest · Samples may not be large enough · 2. Description Reports on the characteristics of some population, situation or event o Answers the questions of what, when, where and how " No analysis or explanation of the phenomenon described . Common in ethnographic research commonly used by anthropologists . Y= the description of a social phenomenon . The Canadian census is an excellent example of descriptive social research . The goal of the census is to describe accurately and precisely a wide variety of characteristics of the Canadian pop, as well as the pop of smaller areas such as provinces and cities · 3. Explanation o Answers to why certain events happen · Why people act in certain ways o Report on the relationships among different aspects of the phenomenon under study · Causal argument o Examples: why some cities have higher crime rates than others , why a pro life demonstration ended in violence · Each has different implications for other aspects of research design Logic of Causation · Scientific explanations rest on the idea that events and conditions have causes
Sept 18th 2018 Soci 217 · A language of variables . Dependant variable (effect) is explained by the presence of the independent variable (cause) . In social sciences, a cause is not necessarily followed by an effect · Causation models in social science are often probalistic Variables . · Variables are concepts with share a special relationship within our theories Independent Variable Dependent Variable · The explaining variable (cause) . Has impact upon another variable · The exogenous variable · The explained variable (effect) · Is being impacted upon . The endogenous variable Represented by X . Represented by Y Y = bX + e · Age (independent), health(dependant) · Eating (independent), hunger(dependant) · Independent Variable = IV · Dependant Variable = DV · A variable must have at least 2 attributes o If attribute do not vary, it's not a variable, but rather a constant ... . DO NOT CONFUSE ATTRIBUTES WITH VARIABLES . Ex. In the US , republicans are more likely to be in favor of the death penalty than the Democrats .. o Political Affiliation = Independent " Republican - attribute · Democrat- attribute Opinion on the death penalty= dependant ·