大學生價值取向問卷調查本調查收集之資料全為IntroductiontoSociology授課之用。請在適當答案前的□格加上X號。問卷填妥後請於即堂交回陳健民教授。(1)你認為婚外情是:□A.無論是甚麼原因,對配偶不誠實就是不道德□B.要看是甚麼原因,很難說一定是不道德□C.感情沒有對錯，婚外情只是夫妻感情變壞的自然結果(2)你最支持的香港政黨是:□A.□前B.□民主黨C.□民建聯D.□自由黨E.港進聯□F.其他:________□G.沒有(3)你平均每天上網(ICQ,on-linegame,查資料…)多少小時□A.1小時以下□B.1–2小時□C.2小時以上(4)你身邊的朋友有沒有性經驗?□A.多數沒有□B.有一些有□C.多數都有(5)你的性別是:□A.□男B.女(6)你認為你的家庭是屬於:□A.基層□B.中產階級□C.富裕階層(7)你的宗教信仰是:□A.沒有□B.基督教/天主教□C.佛教/道教□D.其他Lecture3–ResearchMethodandEthics1.Principleoffalsification–KarlPopperarguesthatscientificideasmustbeformulatedinsuchawaythattheyarecapableofdisproof.However,notallsociologicalresearchisorientedtowardformallytestingscientificideas.Someresearchinsteademphasizesrichnessofdetails.Theymayalsogenerateideasthatcouldbetestedbyothers.2.Measuringsociologicalconcepts-Aconceptisanabstractioncommunicatedinwordsthatstandsforpropertiesthatarecommontoarangeofthingsorevents.Sociologicalconceptsaremorepreciselydefinedandusuallyderivedfromanexplicitsocialtheory.(e.g.sexualattitude)-Avariableisameasurementofaconceptthatvariesaccordingtothevalueofthethingitismeasuring.(e.g.fromconservativetoliberalinsexualattitude)-Operationaldefinitionmeanstodefinetheconceptorvariableintermsoftheoperationsormeasurementsthatcanbeperformedonit.Theyareconcreteindicatorsoftheconceptorvariablethatcanbeobserved.(e.g.opiniontowardextra-maritalsex)-Validitymeansthattheconceptsandtheirmeasurementaccuratelyrepresentwhattheyclaimtorepresent;biasedmeansthatourconceptormeasurementsystematicallymisrepresentsthetruenatureofwhatitiswearestudying.-Reliabilityreferstotheextenttowhichameasureproducesconsistentresults.3.Hypothesisandrelationshipsamongvariables-Hypothesisisaspeculativestatementabouttherelationshipbetweentwoormorevariables.-Correlationreferstothedegreetowhichtwoormorevariablesareassociatedwithoneanother.Whenacorrelationbetweentwovariablesisdiscovered,itistemptingtoassumethatthereisacausalrelationship.-Theindependentvariableistheonethatisbelievedtobringaboutachangeinsomeothervariableorvariables;thedependentvariableistheonethatisbelievedtohavechangedastheresultoftheother.-Correlationdoesnotmeancausation.Causationisaslipperyconceptthatoriginatesinourtheoriesabouttheworld,ratherthaninourobservationsthemselves.Predictionthatarederivedfromscientifictheoriesaretermedhypotheses,theory-drivenideascanbedisprovedwhentestedagainstobservations.-Aspuriousrelationshipisastatisticalassociationbetweentwoormorevariablesthatisactuallytheresultofsomethingelsethatisnotbeingmeasured,ratherthanacausallinkbetweenthevariablesthemselves.(e.g.thehigherthesalesofmake-upproducts,thehigherthedivorcerateofasociety.Doesmake-upcausedivorce?)4.TypesofsociologicalresearchSurveymethod–typicallyentailsadministeringapreciselywordedquestionnairetoagroupofpeopleinordertodeterminetheircharacteristics,opinions,andbehaviors.-defineapopulationuniverse:thegroupsofpeopleaboutwhomgeneralizationsaretobemade;-selectasample:asubsetofcasesselectedtorepresentthelargerpopulation;randomsamplemeansthateverymemberofanentirepopulationbeingstudiedhasthesamechanceofbeingselected.-dataareusuallycollectedbyquestionnairecontainingopen-orclosed-endedquestions;-usingstatisticstogeneralizefromsamplestothelargerpopulationstheyrepresent;-strength:drawconclusionaboutlargenumbersofpeopleonthebasisofamuchsmallernumberofinterviews.-Weakness:superficialandrevealwhatpeoplesayratherthanwhattheyactuallydo.Fieldwork/ethnography–researcherstypicallyimmersethemselvesinthedailylifeofaculture,studyitslanguageanditscustoms,andthenreportonwhattheyhavelearned.-in-depthinterview-participantobservationExperiments-experimentalgroup:receivessomespecialattention,basedontheresearchcausaltheory-controlgroup:doesnotreceivethisattentionSecondaryAnalysis-statisticaldata,documentaryanalysis,andcomparativehistoricalresearchObtrusiveVsUnobtrusivestudy-unobtrusivestudyarebasedondatacollectedwithminimalimpactonthepersonsbeingstudied-Hawthorneeffectholdsthattheresearcher’simpactonhisorhersubjectsmayactuallyaffecttheresearchresults.(EltonMayo’sstudyofWesternElectric’sHawthorneplantinthe1930s.)5.PrinciplesandEthicsofSocialResearch-Objectivity:theability,duringresearch,torepresenttheobjectofstudyastruthfullyaspossible.Weberarguedthatthevaluesandbeliefsofsocialscientistscanandshouldenterintotheirselectionoftopicforstudy.Afterthat,theyshouldremainvalue-neutral;respectthesubject’srighttoprivacyanddignity;preserveconfidentiality;informedconsentofthesubjects;andotherdisclosures.
