Some would say that sociology is a "soft science" because sociology does not produce hard and unwavering data like natural sciences or math. However, unlike the "hard sciences," sociology studies humans, which are never one in the same. Therefore, sociological studies must do their research assuming that their studies may not fit into every single person, but that the studies may be overlying to most.
Let's walk through our own simple sociological study:
First we must find a question, problem, or social situation to examine.
"Ice cream sales cause shark attacks"
This is a true story! Or is it....let's look at the facts first.
As a sociologist, we first need to find our variables, or the items that we are studying.
Both "ice cream" and "shark attacks" are variables.
Next we need to create our theory, or hypothesis, of these two variables: "Ice cream does NOT cause shark attacks."
How will we prove this. Well let's look at the bigger picture:
During the summer months, ice cream sales go up. We will examine local ice cream store sales and the overall market for ice cream throughout the year and the months that it is extra hot.
Secondly, we will examine shark attacks. We will also examine shark attacks throughout the year and throughout the summer months.
What we find is that during the summer months, when it is hotter, people typically will swim in the ocean more often leading to more chances of a shark attack.
So what we find out is that ice cream sales do NOT cause more shark attacks. Although there is a correlation (more ice cream sales and more shark attacks at the same time), ice cream does not CAUSE shark attacks (causation).
In sociology we also have to look at validity and reliability which are important when examining research. There are many factors you should look at before you decide whether or not the research done is valid or reliable:
- the Authority of the author and the background of the publisher
- the Objectivity of the author
- the Quality of the work
- the Currency of the work
- the Relevancy of the work
(Resource: Oregon State Library)
Also, check out this list on how to check out reliability and validity of news articles.
Also, sample size, or how many people or items you are studying, and probability methods are very important when examining validity and reliability of research.
It shows how important validity and reliability is.
Here is a video that demonstrates the complexities of sociological research:
Overall, there are many steps and processes that go into sociological research. Our research is complex, fascinating, and attempts to study the hardest subject on earth: human beings.
-Can you find a news article online that is unreliable or invalid? (if so, post it here)
-Does this change your perspective on news articles? Will you look at news with a more critical eye now?
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