The Logic of Social Science Research

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The Logic of Social Science Research
A lecture by
Dr. Christopher Kollmeyer

• Sociology 3522
• 31 Jan. 2006

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Epistemology How do we know when something is
true?

• Religion ? Faith / Tradition / Dogma
• Natural Sciences ? Scientific Method
• Social Sciences ? 3 Research Orientations
• Positivism
• Realism
• Interpretivism

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The Scientific Method
Supported Theory
Tentative Explanation (Hypothesis)
Unexplained Phenomenon
Observable Prediction
Experiment
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Key Characteristics of the Scientific Method

• Falsification
• Karl Popper (1959) The Logic of Scientific
  Discovery
• Either reject or support hypothesis, but never
  prove it
• existential statements
• Repeatable / Verifiable / Peer Reviewed
• Theories ? Scientific Laws (Accepted Theories)
• Laws can be overturned
• Science is dynamic

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Key Epistemological Question Can the social
world be studied with the same methods and
principles used in the natural sciences?

• YES ? Positivism (Emile Durkheim)
• Typically Deductive Research
• NO? Interpretivism or Verstehen (Max Weber)
• Typically Inductive Research
• YES? Realism (Karl Mark, Sigmund Freud)
• No methodological preference

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Positivism

• Scientific knowledge derived from observations
  (empiricism)
• Theory alone is not scientific knowledge ?
  philosophy
• Scientific knowledge based on data and facts
• Science is value free
• Objective vs. normative statements
• Deductive research is best
• Theory ?Hypothesis ? Collect Data ? Findings ?
• Hypothesis confirmed or rejected ? Revise theory

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Building Blocks of Positivistic Social Research
Theories, Hypotheses, and Variables

• Theory Elaborate and detailed explanation for a
  particular social phenomenon.
• Theory determines the causal relationship
  between social variables.
• The data determine the correlation between
  variables.
• Founding Theories of Sociology
• Karl Marx (Capitalism and Society)
• Max Weber (Religion and Capitalism)
• Emile Durkheim (DOL and Anomie)
• Sigmund Freud (social norms and individual
  happiness)

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• Hypothesis A short and empirically testable
  statement, based upon a theory, that describes a
  certain social phenomenon.
• Possible Hypotheses for Founding Theories
• Marx The more the economy is privately owned,
  the more economic inequality that society will
  experience.
• Weber Protestant dominated countries have
  stronger economies than Catholic dominated
  countries.
• Durkheim The more advanced the division of labor
  in a society, the more that society will suffer
  from anomie.
• Freud People living in societies with repressive
  sexually norms tend to have more nervous
  disorders.

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• Variables An important social object within a
  theory that can take on two or more different
  values or categories.
• Examples of Sociological Variables
• Economic systems capitalism, socialism, mixed
  economies.
• Social Class upper class, middle class, working
  class, lower class.
• Gender
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Income

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Measurement Validity

• Proxies A variable that represents (albeit
  imperfectly) a more complicated sociological
  concept. Proxies enable researchers to measure
  abstract social phenomena.
• Examples
• Concept Possible Proxy
• Economic inequality ---- Gini Coefficient
• Industrial Conflict ---- Strikes per year
• Gender Equality -- Gender pay gap
• Political participation --- ???
• Academic abilities -- ???
• National Prosperity --- ????

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In-Class Exercise

• 1) Write out a one sentence hypothesis that may
  explain the following social problems
• poverty
• gender inequality in the workplace
• low voter turnout
• anti-social behavior among teenagers
• 2) How you would measure the variables identified
  in your hypothesis?