SOC222H5 Lecture Notes - Interval Ratio, Dependent And Independent Variables, Religious Denomination
Document Summary
Modern science is about specific ways of finding things out. They have to exist in the observable world (not just theoretically) But the phenomenon doesn"t have to be directly observable. Once we have a research question, we have to phrase the question, as well as the subject of the question, using standard terms and practices. Concept: a label that is applied to things with similar characteristics or attributes - things that can be grouped together. The problem is that concepts, like racism, inequality, trust, democracy, power, etc. are not directly observable or measurable. Construct: is the word we use to refer to things that we know exist empirically, but cannot be directly observed. The problem is that concepts, like racism, inequality, trust, Concept of power: power is the ability to produce intended effects. It"s a construct - we don"t see power. We can only infer about power by seeing something like "an intended effect"
