CRIM 220 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Statistical Conclusion Validity, Causal Inference, Observational Error
25 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
In practice, all aspects of research design - interrelated. Start w/ discussion of causation in social science. Consider alternative ways of handling time in cj research. Cause & effect implicit in much of what we have examined so far. One of chief goals of social science researchers - to explain why things are way they are. We typically specify causes for way things are. General notion of causation - both simple & complex. Cj research & theory most strongly rooted in social sciences. Social science research methods adapted from those used in physical sciences. Cause in social science - inherently probabilistic. Begin consideration of cause by examining what criteria must be satisfied before inferring that something causes something else. Criteria by joseph maxwell for assessing idiographic explanation. Whether alternative explanations were seriously considered & found wanting. Empirical correlation b/w cause & effect not due to some other factor. Often, time order connecting 2 variables unclear.
