Chapter 2
Sociological Research Methods
Common Sense and
Sociology: Suicide


Common sense may tell us that people who
threaten suicide will not commit suicide.
 Sociological research indicates that people
who threaten to kill themselves may attempt
suicide.
Common sense may tell us that suicide is
caused by despair or depression.
 Research suggests that suicide is sometimes
used as a means of lashing out because of
real or imagined wrongs.
Common Sense and
Sociological: Suicide

Historically, the common sense view of suicide
was that it was a sin, a crime, & a mental
illness.

Emile Durkheim related suicide to the issue of
cohesiveness in society.
 Wrote that a high suicide rate was
symptomatic of large-scale societal
problems.
How Much Do You Know
About Suicide?

True or False?
 In the United States, suicide occurs on
the average of one every 18 minutes.
How Much Do You Know
About Suicide?

True
 A suicide occurs on the average of
every 18 minutes in the United States.
 Men are four times more likely to kill
themselves than are women.
How Much Do You Know
About Suicide?

True or False?
 More teenagers and young adults die
from suicide than from cancer, heart
disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke,
pneumonia, influenza, and chronic
lung disease combined.
How Much Do You Know
About Suicide?

True.
 Suicide is a leading cause of death
among teenagers and young adults.
 It is the third leading cause of death
among young people between 15 and
24 years of age, following unintentional
injuries and homicide.
Question

Within the past 12 months, how many
people have you known personally that
have committed suicide?
General Social Survey National Data
Region
East
Midwest
South
West
None
91.9%
86.6%
90.2%
85.7%
1 or
More
8.1%
13.4%
9.8%
14.3%
Sociology and Scientific
Evidence


Sociology involves debunking,
unmasking false ideas or opinions.
Two approaches:
 Normative
 Empirical
The Normative Approach

Uses religion, customs, habits, traditions
& law to answer important questions.
 Based on beliefs about what is right &
wrong
 What “ought to be” in society.
The Empirical Approach

Attempts to answer questions through
systematic collection & analysis
 Referred to as scientific methodBased
on assumption that knowledge is
gained by direct systematic
observation.
Sociology and Scientific
Standards

2 basic scientific standards:
 Scientific beliefs should be supported
by good evidence/info
 These beliefs should be open to debate
& critique
Question

The scientific method is based on the
assumption that knowledge is best
gained by:
a. direct observation
b. systematic observation
c. the support of good evidence
d. the possibility for public debate
e. all of these choices
Answer: e

The scientific method is based on the
assumption that knowledge is best gained
by: direct observation, systematic
observation, the support of good
evidence and the possibility for public
debate.
Types of Empirical Studies


Descriptive studies: describe social reality or
provide facts about a group, practice, or event.
 Designed to find out what is happening to
whom, where, and when.
Explanatory studies: attempt to explain cause
and effect relationships and to provide
information on why certain events do or do not
occur.
Deductive Approach

Researcher begins with a theory and uses
research to test the theory:
1. Theories  hypotheses.
2. Hypotheses  observations.
3. Observations  formation of
generalizations.
4. Generalizations used to support theory,
suggest modifications, or to refute it.
Inductive Approach

Researcher collects information or data (facts
or evidence) and then generates theories from
the analysis of that data.
1. Specific observations suggest
generalizations.
2. Generalizations produce tentative theory.
3. The theory is tested through formation of
hypotheses.
4. Hypotheses may provide suggestions for
additional observations.
Question

The _____ approach begins with a
theory and uses research to test the
theory.
a. inductive
b. deductive
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Answer: b

The deductive approach begins with a
theory and uses research to test the
theory.
Theory and Research Cycle
Understanding Statistical
Data Presentations


Sociologists use statistical tables to present a
lot of information in a small space.
To understand a table, follow these steps:
1. Read the title.
2. Check the source and explanatory notes.
3. Read the headings for each column and
row.
4. Examine and compare the data.
5. Draw conclusions.
U.S. Suicides, Sex And Method
Males
Females
Method
1970
2000
1970
2000
Total
16,629
23,618
6,851
5,732
Firearms
9,704
14,454
2,068
2,132
Poisoning
3,299
2,792
3,285
2,067
Hanging
/strangulation
2,422
4,733
831
955
Other
1,204
1,639
667
578
Quantitative and Qualitative
Research


Quantitative research focuses on data
that can be measured numerically
(comparing rates of suicide, for example).
Qualitative research focuses on
interpretive description rather than
statistics to analyze underlying meanings
and patterns of social relationships.
Conventional Research
Model
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Select and define the research problem.
Review previous research.
Formulate the hypothesis.
Develop the research design.
Collect and analyze the data.
Draw conclusions and report the
findings.
Question

With _____research, interpretive description
(words) rather than statistics (numbers) is
used to analyze underlying meanings and
patterns of social relationships.
a. inductive
b. deductive
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Answer: d

With qualitative research, interpretive
description (words) rather than statistics
(numbers) is used to analyze underlying
meanings and patterns of social
relationships.
Definitions


Validity is the extent to which a study or
research instrument accurately measures what
it is supposed to measure.
Reliability is the extent to which a study or
research instrument yields consistent results
when applied to different individuals at one time
or to the same individuals over time.
Hypothesized Relationships
Between Variables

Causal Relationship
Hypothesized Relationships
Between Variables

Inverse Causal Relationship
Hypothesized Relationships
Between Variables

Multiple-cause Explanation\
Question

In a medical study, lung cancer could be
the _____ variable, while smoking could
be the ______ variable.
a. dependant, independent
b. independent, dependant
c. valid, reliable
d. reliable, valid
Answer: a

In a medical study, lung cancer could be
the dependant variable, while smoking
could be the independent variable.
Qualitative Research Method
1.
2.
Researcher begins with a general
approach rather than a highly detailed
plan.
Researcher has to decide when the
literature review and theory application
should take place.
Qualitative Research Method
3.
4.
5.
The study presents a detailed view of
the topic.
Access to people or other resources that
can provide necessary data is crucial.
Appropriate research method(s) are
important for acquiring useful qualitative
data.
Correlation Vs. Causation



A study might find that exposure to a suicide hot
line is associated (correlated) with a change in
attitude toward suicide.
But if some of the students who were exposed
to the hot line also received psychiatric
counseling, the counseling may be the
“hidden” cause of the observed change in
attitude.
In general, correlations alone do not prove
causation.
Triangulation



Triangulation is the term used to describe the
approach of combining multiple methods in a
given study.
Refers not only to research methods but also to
multiple data sources, investigators, and
theoretical perspectives in a study.
Data sources include persons, situations,
contexts, and time.