Foundations of Sociological Inquiry
Causal Reasoning
Today’s Objectives




Asch Experiments
Linking Theory and Research
Midterm Course Evaluations
Questions?
Which two lines are of equal length
1.
2.
3.
4.
X and A
X and B
A and C
X and C
55%
45%
0%
1
2
3
0%
4
Which two lines are of equal length
1.
2.
3.
4.
X and A
X and B
A and C
X and C
67%
33%
0%
1
2
3
0%
4
Which two lines are of equal length
1.
2.
3.
4.
X and A
X and B
A and C
X and C
75%
25%
0%
1
2
3
0%
4
Which two lines are of equal length
1.
2.
3.
4.
X and A
X and B
A and C
X and C
71%
28%
1%
1
2
3
0%
4
Social Science Paradigms

Asch Experiment (1958)

A group of subjects is
presented with a set of
lines on a screen and
asked to identify the two
lines that are equal in
length.

Others in the group
identify A or C as the
correct answer, while you
know that B is the correct
answer.
Walking with an open umbrella on a beautiful day or using
hands to eat mashed potatoes are techniques used by
_____ to understand the social world.
79%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
social Darwinists
conflict theorists
structural
functionalists
symbolic
interactionists
ethnomethodologists
6%
7%
6%
3
4
2%
1
2
5
The Links Between Theory and Research


Deductive Model – research is used to test theories.
Inductive Model – theories are developed from
analysis of data.
Which one of the following statements best
summarizes the role of deduction and induction?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Deduction is the preferred
approach.
Induction is the preferred
approach.
In practice, scientific inquiry
involves an alternation
between deduction and
induction.
In practice, scientific inquiry
involves primarily one or the
other approach.
In practice, scientific inquiry
involves the use of both at
the same time.
44%
44%
10%
0%
1
2%
2
3
4
5
Are you in Section AA, AB, or AC?
1.
2.
Yes
No
62%
38%
1
2
This course as a whole is (AA, AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
43%
43%
13%
1%
1
Mean = 2.32
2
3
4
0%
0%
5
6
This course as a whole is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
44%
44%
8%
3%
0%
1
2
Mean = 2.4844
3
4
5
2%
6
The course content is (AA, AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
53%
30%
11%
5%
1
2
Mean = 2.5556
3
4
1%
0%
5
6
The course content is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
44%
39%
9%
6%
2%
1
2
Mean = 2.6296
3
4
5
0%
6
The instructor overall is (AA, AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
56%
26%
17%
1
2
Mean = 1.9359
3
1%
0%
0%
4
5
6
The instructor overall is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
50%
26%
20%
4%
1
Mean = 2.02
2
3
4
0%
0%
5
6
The instructor’s contribution to your
understanding of concepts/ideas is (AA, AB,
AC):
1. Excellent
37%
2. Very Good
31%
3. Good
24%
4. Fair
5. Poor
6. Very Poor
8%
1
2
Mean = 2.2267
3
4
0%
0%
5
6
The instructor’s contribution to your
understanding of concepts/ideas is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
45%
34%
15%
6%
1
2
Mean = 2.3019
3
4
0%
0%
5
6
The instructor’s interest in whether students
learned is (AA, AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
35%
31%
32%
1%
Mean =1 2
2
3
4
0%
0%
5
6
The instructor’s interest in whether students
learned is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
35%
31%
27%
4%
2%
0%
1
2
Mean = 2.1961
3
4
5
6
The amount learned in the course is (AA,
AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
38%
33%
21%
7%
1%
1
2
Mean = 2.7763
3
4
5
0%
6
The amount learned in the course is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
43%
37%
15%
2%
1
2
Mean = 2.8333
3
4
2%
2%
5
6
The relevance and usefulness of homework
assignments is (AA, AB, AC):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
33%
Mean =1 2
33%
2
33%
3
0%
0%
0%
4
5
6
The relevance and usefulness of homework
assignments is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
0%
0 of 5
1
Mean =
0%
2
0%
0%
0%
0%
3
4
5
6
15
Professor Pettit examines how sending an e-mail to students
affects students assessment of a course. Pettit compares
evaluations of students who received an e-mail declaring her
devotion to student learning with those who didn’t receive an email. She is conducting:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
an experiment
deception
no harm to participants
qualitative research
ethnography
61%
25%
10%
3%
2%
1
2
3
4
5
Professor Pettit did an experiment on her students in a
classroom. She measured their views about the course on
the first week, randomly assigned half of them to receive an
offer for extra help on the second week, and measured
their views about the course on the third week. Measuring
the student’s views on the third week is the
50%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
50%
independent variable.
posttest.
pretest.
experimental group.
control variable
1
2
0%
0%
3
4
0%
5
Professor Pettit did an experiment on her students in a
classroom. She measured their views about the course on
the first week, randomly assigned half of them to receive an
offer for extra help on the second week, and measured
their views about the course on the third week.
70%
The half of the students
who did not receive an
offer of extra help are
known as the
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
independent variable.
experimental group.
pretest.
control group.
posttest.
15%
10%
4%
1
2
3
1%
4
5
Professor Pettit did an experiment in class over the space of a few
weeks to examine the effect of specific interventions on course
evaluations. She randomly assigned students to the experimental
and control groups and did a pretest and posttest. At the time of the
posttest, several student realized that they received the same
questions on the pretest, and used the same answers they had
originally given on the pretest even though their evaluations may
have changed. Which source of
46%
internal invalidity does this example
reflect?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
history
maturation
instrumentation
testing
mortality
20%
17%
14%
3%
1
2
3
4
5
Questions?