PSY 309 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Thomas Kuhn, Spurious Relationship, Paradigm Shift
Document Summary
Quantitative: translates the social world into numbers that can be studied mathematically. Qualitative: uses non-numerical data like texts, interviews, photos, and recordings to help us understand social life. The scientific method = a procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting data through observation and experiment. Identify a problem or ask a question: conduct a literature review, form a hypothesis; give operational definitions to variables, choose a research design or method, collect data, analyze data, disseminate findings. Correlation = a relationship between 2 variables. Causation = a relationship in which one variable causes another variable to change. Spurious correlation = a relationship that seems to exist between 2 variables, but is caused by some external, or intervening variable. Research can lead to what thomas kuhn called a paradigm shift, or a change in the way we think about some aspect of life. In participant observation the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting.
