Science and Research

An Introduction to Research
Methodology
How do we know about the
world around us?
l Authority
l Tradition
l Common sense
l Media
l Personal experience
l Overgeneralization
l Selective observation
l Premature closure
l Halo effect
“Confirmation Bias”

l We tend to interpret information in a manner

that confirms our existing beliefs
l At the same time we ignore or overlook any
new information that contradicts what we
already “know”
The Nature of Scientific Theory
l A. The Two Tasks of Science
l Discovery
l Explanation

l B. Properties of scientific knowledge

l Assertions about relationships
l Empirical referents
l Sensory verification
l Deductive structure
l Allows for prediction
The Nature of Scientific Theory (cont.)
l C. Desirable characteristics of science
l Abstract, verifiable, intersubjective agreement
l D. Goals of science
l Provide method to understand causality and to
predict
l E. Causality
l Association
l Time order
l Non-spuriousness
l Theoretical justification
The Nature of Scientific Theory (cont.)

l F. Testable propositions and parsimonious

explanations

l G. Problems unique to the social sciences

l Empirical measurement
l Control
l Ethics
l Bias
l The human subject
What is Research?

l Real Research = the systematic process of

collecting and analyzing information
l Criteria for research
l Start with clear question/problem
l Plan of how to proceed (methodology)
l Acknowledgement of assumptions
l Data gathered to solve problem (not indiscriminate)
l Cyclical process
The Wheel of Research
Research Design
l Influenced by:
l Current knowledge

l Cost

l Ethics

l Skills
Dimensions of Research
l A. Style of Research
l Exploratory
l Descriptive
l Explanatory

l B. Purpose or Focus
l Basic
l Applied
Dimensions of Research (cont.)

l C. Time Dimension
l Cross-sectional (eg. Doing survey is common)
l Longitudinal
l Time-series

l Panel

l Cohort

l Case Studies
Dimensions of Research (cont.)
l D. Data Collection Technique
l Quantitative
l Experiments
l Surveys
l Quantitative content analysis
l Existing statistics
l Qualitative
l Interviews
l Focus groups
l Field research
l Historical research
l Qualitative content analysis
Schools of Thought
Quantitative Research Qualitative Research

Meaningfully Meanings, concepts,

expressed by and definitions
numbers
Quality assessed
Provides counts and through words,
measures images, and
description
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010
The Quantitative-Qualitative
“Divide” in Research
l Is really an artificial divide
l Deductive vs inductive
l Hard vs soft science
l Value-free vs value-laden
l Objective vs subjective
l Nomothetic vs. idiographic
l The research process more accurately can
be described as a cyclical search for social
truth
Again, The Wheel of Research