Foundations of Sociological Inquiry
Trust and Trickery in Social Research

Today’s Objectives
 Establishing Trust
 Ethical Issues
 Ethical Controversies
 Validity and Reliability

Set up Clicker Technology
 Becky Plugs in Receiver & Sets Channel to 05
 Becky Sets Up Web-Based Session
 Students with Clicker Set Channel to 05
 Ch; 05; Ch
 Students with Wireless Device Login to www.rwpoll.com
 Enter Session ID

Establishing Trust
 I am doing research to examine how course evaluations differ by gender
 I am surveying students in all sociology classes
 Using your clicker, please respond to the following questions
 Your responses are anonymous and will be kept confidential

Do you trust me?
1.
2.
3.
Yes
No
Don’t Know
59%
31%
1
11%
2 3

This course as a whole is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
22%
56%
19%
1%
1 2 3 4
1%
5
1%
6

The course content is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
58%
21%
18%
2%
1 2 3 4
1%
5
1%
6

The instructor overall is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
23%
41%
28%
3
6%
4
0%
5
2%
6 1 2

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
19%
32%
36%
12%
1 2 3 4
0%
5
1%
6

The course content is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
54%
21%
20%
4%
1 2 3 4
1%
5
1%
6

The instructor’s interest in whether students learned is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
17%
44%
27%
11%
1 2 3 4
1%
5
1%
6

The amount learned in the course is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
17%
48%
21%
2%
1 2 3 4
10%
5
2%
6

The relevance and usefulness of homework assignments is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
Very Poor
21%
40%
20%
8%
6%
5%
1 2 3 4 5 6

3.
4.
1.
2.
Professor Pettit examines how an instructor’s gender affects course evaluations. Pettit decides to compare evaluations of college students in different classes. She decides to begin her research using students in her class. After explaining the study, she assures students that their responses will be confidential.
The students complete her survey during class. Her research most clearly impinges on
48%
5.
deception.
no harm to participants.
voluntary participation.
the value placed on anonymity.
value-free reports of the data.
7%
11%
29%
6%
1 2 3 4 5

The main reason that codes of ethics exist are that
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ethical issues are both important and ambiguous.
both the state and federal governments require them.
researchers would be both unwilling and unable to make ethical decisions without them.
the directors of the professional associations require and enforce them.
people are naturally unethical.
49%
1
9%
2
20%
3
10%
12%
4 5

Ethical Issues in Social Research

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.

Ethical Issues in Social Research

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.
 Voluntary Participation

Ethical Issues in Social Research

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.
 Voluntary Participation
 DO NO HARM

Ethical Issues in Social Research

Ethical (Webster’s): conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group.
 Voluntary Participation
 DO NO HARM
 Anonymity and Confidentiality

Which of the following techniques of data collection is
MOST likely to make a guarantee of anonymity difficult?
3.
4.
1.
2.
5.
interviews mailed questionnaires secondary data analysis unobtrusive measures
The data collection technique does not effect the guarantee of anonymity.
60%
17%
11%
1 2 3
3%
4
9%
5

Ethical Controversies
 Trouble in the Tearoom – Laud Humphreys




Studied homosexual activities in public restrooms in parks
Researcher became interested in the lives of participants
Researcher volunteered to become “watchqueen”
Researcher collected personal information about the participants (license numbers of cars)

What should have Laud Humphrey done in his
“Trouble in the Tearoom” study to uphold ethical standards?
65%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
debriefed subjects.
allowed subjects to decline to be studied.
remained nonpolitical.
promised confidentiality.
revealed his identity.
15%
12%
7%
1 2
0%
3 4 5

Ethical Controversies
 Observing Human Obedience – Stanley Milgram


Participants imitated a laboratory-based World War II controversy
Participants were assigned job of “teacher” – to teach a list of works to the “pupil.” If the pupil got the word wrong, the teacher would administer increasing levels of shocks to the pupil.

The primary ethical research issue raised by the Milgram study was
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
the willingness of people to harm others when “following orders” required it.
the administration of electrical shocks to the pupils.
the effects of the methods on the pupils.
the effects of the methods on the teacher.
the examination of obedience as a topic for study.
44%
1
10%
2
15%
3
25%
4
7%
5

Reliability and Validity
 Reliability


The extent to which a given measurement strategy would describe a concept in the same way if repeated again and again OR
The extent to which two or more measures provide the same description of a concept

Reliability and Validity
 Reliability


The extent to which a given measurement strategy would describe a concept in the same way if repeated again and again OR
The extent to which two or more measures provide the same description of a concept
 Validity


Internal Validity represents the extent to which a variable or indicator accurately represents the concept it was chosen to measure
External Validity represents the extent to which findings from a study, based on a sample can be generalized to a larger population

High Reliability and High Validity
•
•
•
•• •
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
27

High Reliability and High Validity
(Self-reported educational attainment)
•
•
•
•• •
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
28

High Reliability and Low Validity
•
•
•
••
• •
•
•
•
•
•
••
•
•
••
•
.
29

High Reliability and Low Validity
(Self-reported number of sexual partners)
•
•
•
••
• •
•
•
•
•
•
••
•
•
••
•
.
30

Low Reliability and High Validity
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
•
•
•
•
31

Low Reliability and High Validity
(Self-reported happiness)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
.
•
•
•
•
32

Replicability
 Someone should be able to figure out what you did, how you did it, and do it again
 Your work (observational or analytical) should withstand further empirical scrutiny
 All of this rests on shared professional standards
(ethics)

Questions?