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CHAPTER 3: Schmalleger - Researching Crime
The goal of any discipline is to acquire knowledge, usually contribute to
theory, and be relevant.
WHAT IS "SCIENCE?"
SCIENCE is the process of attempting to systematically understand
our world in ways that are rigorous (logical), testable
(verifiablefalsifiable), and evident (empirical). Research is
the actual practice by which we gather, interpret, describe, and
disseminate our attempts to do science. The broad goals of most
scientific research, including sociology are to establish
understanding by examining (NOT simply testing) hypotheses and
generating theories.
DEFINITION OF THEORY:
FORMAL DEFINITION: A theory is a systematically related set of
statements, including some law-like generalizations, that is
empirically testable. They are ORGANIZING DEVICES that reveal or
assert that selected dimensions of social behavior or experience
are related in particular ways.
INFORMAL DEFINITION: Theories are STORIES (or MYTHS) about how
the world operates.
Types of Theories
A. Nomothetic theories (also called "hypothetic-deductive" or
"nomological-deductive")
HYPOTHESES (Definition): Hypotheses are tentative statements
about the nature of our world (give examples). Hypotheses are
simply expected relationships between two or more events (for
example, "prison overcrowding causes violence" is a testable
hopothesis). They are something to be tested, and usually derive
from a broader theory. A HYPOTHESIS is NOT a THEORY!!! A THEORY
is a general account of what we see, and a hypothesis is a way of
testing that account (give examples).
Independent Variable (the factor having an effect on another
factor)
Dependent Variable (factor that's effected)
Some general rules of causal logic:
a) argument can't be circular
b) IV & DV must COVARY
c) Causal Variable must precede effect
d) Relationship can't be spurious
Ideographic theories:
Different than nomological approach. The goal is DESCRIPTION, and
usually written in prose style rather than statistical style.
(These are also called "qualitative" theories, as distinguished
from "quantitative" approaches, or those that "measure.")
RESEARCH DESIGNS
A research design is simply the logic and method by which, from start to
finish, we conceptualize a question/issue, gather data, interpret it,
and communicate it.
Many types of design:
1) Surveys
2) Experiments
3) Documentary
4) Historical
5) Participant observation
ETHICS OF RESEARCH
SO WHAT? (ie, who cares, what's the point, who's the audience?)
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