Knowledge clip 1.1 Social research
Science = the systematic study of patterns, regularities and meaning of our experience.
Types of human experience see image in your notes on ipad.
Social science focuses on those experiences related to humans.
the thoughts/beliefs/emotions hard to study because others can’t perceive them.
there are methods for this to study
2 different types of studies each reveal a different perspective on the same social
phenomenon
example of angry researcher who wants to be happy
4 major distinctions in social science research
1. Approach
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
Qualitative research
- Data involves qualities
- Words, images
- Understanding meaning
creating understanding emphasizing with an individual
Example: interviews about happiness
Quantitative research
- Data involve quantities
- Numbers, statistics
- General tendencies
general, not individual doing surveys
example: brain scans of happy people
2. Use
- Basic
- Applied
Basic research Applied research
Aimed at anything interesting Aimed at practical problems
How does the world work? Can we solve this problem?
Researchers have freedom and intrinsic Research as part of the job and at
motivation employer’s demand
Success if results impact science community Success if results are ‘usable’
Example: Does prosocial behavior increase Example: Do our customers become more
happiness? happy and buy more if we greet them?
3. Purpose
- Exploratory
- Descriptive
- Explanatory
,Exploratory
- To explore new phenomena
- What?
- Idea generating
- Feasibility studies
example: researcher interviews people to explore in what situations they are
happy.
Descriptive
- Describing characteristics of phenomena
- How? Who?
- Categorizing and classifying
Example: researchers gather data measuring the happiness of people across the
world
Explanatory
- Explaining why something works in a certain way
- Why?
- Theory testing
- Model comparison
Example: researcher who conducts an experiment who investigate whether
people become happy after watching movies of other happy people compare it to
people who watch movie with sad people.
4. Time dimension
- Case-study
- Cross-sectional
- Longitudinal
Case study
- Only one focused at a single unit
single individual
may be measured at various time points but at least once
example: report of a rare side effect of a vaccin involving only a single participant
Cross-sectional
- Looks at group of people but only measured at one time point
study previous, countries compared with happiness of their inhabitants
Longitudinal
- Looks at group of people but measures these people at least two moments in time
also follow up on research of the happiness
ASMR case study
new researchers first use qualitative and then later on more quantitative studies to
test their hypotheses
,Science build upon itself! One study inspires the next one built on previous work
1.2 empirical cycle
in empirical research knowledge is gained by means of direct and indirect observation or
experience
The scientific method
- ideas are generated through observation
- ideas are tested against observations
- respect the observations, even if they disqualify your ideas
- how do scientists make observations in a systematic way?
Steps in research process
The empirical cycle see image on Ipad.
1. Select topic
2. Formulate a research question
can ASMR help in treating depression?
3. Designing the study
- Selecting adequate measures
- Identifying your required cases or units
4. Collecting the data
- Surveys
- Experiment
- Interviews
5. Analyze the data
6. Interpret data
- Connecting the dots
- Drawing conclusions
7. Inform others
- Publishing scientific article
- Writing opinion piece
may inspire other researchers
Introduction video module 2 Milgram experiment volt experiment
Knowledge clip 2.1 Social Theories
Social theory = explains why the social world has certain patterns, operations or events
1. Social theory starts with observation
Milgram’s agency theory
In social situations, people have two states of behavior:
1. The autonomous state
= people direct their own actions and are willing to take responsibility for the results
of those actions
, 2. The agentic state
= people allow others to direct their actions and passes the responsibility to the
person that orders it.
People can enter the agentic state if they see the authority as:
- Qualified
- Willing to take responsibility
Is Milgram’s theory supported by the evidence?
1. The theory is seen as qualified
ordinary person of the public took over after the ‘experienced’ person had to
leave because of a phone call
It went from 45% obedience to 20% obedience
2. The authority should be willing to take responsibility
Participant responsible 5% obedience
Experimenter responsible 65% obedience
Participants instruct confederate 92% obedience
Scientific vs. everyday theories
1. Scientific theories are updated in light of new evidence
2. Scientific theories are falsifiable
3. Scientific theories are logically consistent
1. Replication of Milgram’s original experiment
- Does being male or female make a difference?
- 72 of 80 participants (90%) obeyed
- No difference between males and females
Good theorizing is exploring all potential causes and systematically examining the empirical
evidence both for and against a position.
2. Social theories are falsifiable
- Falsifiability = a theory can be contradicted by new evidence
- If participants did not obey the new experimenter, it is because they were sabotaging
the experiment, if they say they were seriously participating then they were lying
- Ad hoc hypothesis: a hypothesis added to a theory in order to save it from being
falsified
3. Social theories are logically consistent
- Theory is logically consistent if its parts are not contradictory
- Theories can be false but logically consistent
factual vs. logical consistency
Theories are build from concepts
Concepts = ideas expressed as symbols or words
have a conceptual definition
Science = the systematic study of patterns, regularities and meaning of our experience.
Types of human experience see image in your notes on ipad.
Social science focuses on those experiences related to humans.
the thoughts/beliefs/emotions hard to study because others can’t perceive them.
there are methods for this to study
2 different types of studies each reveal a different perspective on the same social
phenomenon
example of angry researcher who wants to be happy
4 major distinctions in social science research
1. Approach
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
Qualitative research
- Data involves qualities
- Words, images
- Understanding meaning
creating understanding emphasizing with an individual
Example: interviews about happiness
Quantitative research
- Data involve quantities
- Numbers, statistics
- General tendencies
general, not individual doing surveys
example: brain scans of happy people
2. Use
- Basic
- Applied
Basic research Applied research
Aimed at anything interesting Aimed at practical problems
How does the world work? Can we solve this problem?
Researchers have freedom and intrinsic Research as part of the job and at
motivation employer’s demand
Success if results impact science community Success if results are ‘usable’
Example: Does prosocial behavior increase Example: Do our customers become more
happiness? happy and buy more if we greet them?
3. Purpose
- Exploratory
- Descriptive
- Explanatory
,Exploratory
- To explore new phenomena
- What?
- Idea generating
- Feasibility studies
example: researcher interviews people to explore in what situations they are
happy.
Descriptive
- Describing characteristics of phenomena
- How? Who?
- Categorizing and classifying
Example: researchers gather data measuring the happiness of people across the
world
Explanatory
- Explaining why something works in a certain way
- Why?
- Theory testing
- Model comparison
Example: researcher who conducts an experiment who investigate whether
people become happy after watching movies of other happy people compare it to
people who watch movie with sad people.
4. Time dimension
- Case-study
- Cross-sectional
- Longitudinal
Case study
- Only one focused at a single unit
single individual
may be measured at various time points but at least once
example: report of a rare side effect of a vaccin involving only a single participant
Cross-sectional
- Looks at group of people but only measured at one time point
study previous, countries compared with happiness of their inhabitants
Longitudinal
- Looks at group of people but measures these people at least two moments in time
also follow up on research of the happiness
ASMR case study
new researchers first use qualitative and then later on more quantitative studies to
test their hypotheses
,Science build upon itself! One study inspires the next one built on previous work
1.2 empirical cycle
in empirical research knowledge is gained by means of direct and indirect observation or
experience
The scientific method
- ideas are generated through observation
- ideas are tested against observations
- respect the observations, even if they disqualify your ideas
- how do scientists make observations in a systematic way?
Steps in research process
The empirical cycle see image on Ipad.
1. Select topic
2. Formulate a research question
can ASMR help in treating depression?
3. Designing the study
- Selecting adequate measures
- Identifying your required cases or units
4. Collecting the data
- Surveys
- Experiment
- Interviews
5. Analyze the data
6. Interpret data
- Connecting the dots
- Drawing conclusions
7. Inform others
- Publishing scientific article
- Writing opinion piece
may inspire other researchers
Introduction video module 2 Milgram experiment volt experiment
Knowledge clip 2.1 Social Theories
Social theory = explains why the social world has certain patterns, operations or events
1. Social theory starts with observation
Milgram’s agency theory
In social situations, people have two states of behavior:
1. The autonomous state
= people direct their own actions and are willing to take responsibility for the results
of those actions
, 2. The agentic state
= people allow others to direct their actions and passes the responsibility to the
person that orders it.
People can enter the agentic state if they see the authority as:
- Qualified
- Willing to take responsibility
Is Milgram’s theory supported by the evidence?
1. The theory is seen as qualified
ordinary person of the public took over after the ‘experienced’ person had to
leave because of a phone call
It went from 45% obedience to 20% obedience
2. The authority should be willing to take responsibility
Participant responsible 5% obedience
Experimenter responsible 65% obedience
Participants instruct confederate 92% obedience
Scientific vs. everyday theories
1. Scientific theories are updated in light of new evidence
2. Scientific theories are falsifiable
3. Scientific theories are logically consistent
1. Replication of Milgram’s original experiment
- Does being male or female make a difference?
- 72 of 80 participants (90%) obeyed
- No difference between males and females
Good theorizing is exploring all potential causes and systematically examining the empirical
evidence both for and against a position.
2. Social theories are falsifiable
- Falsifiability = a theory can be contradicted by new evidence
- If participants did not obey the new experimenter, it is because they were sabotaging
the experiment, if they say they were seriously participating then they were lying
- Ad hoc hypothesis: a hypothesis added to a theory in order to save it from being
falsified
3. Social theories are logically consistent
- Theory is logically consistent if its parts are not contradictory
- Theories can be false but logically consistent
factual vs. logical consistency
Theories are build from concepts
Concepts = ideas expressed as symbols or words
have a conceptual definition
