SY280 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Structural Functionalism, Verstehen, Arson
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Validity: measures what it is supposed to (i. e. height uses meters instead of kg) The research model: selecting a topic, defining the problem, reviewing the literature, formulating a hypothesis, choosing a research method, collecting the data, analyzing the results, sharing the results. Variable: an empirical object or phenomenon that can assume a number of different values i. e. income, religion, education, class, age, ethnicity. Two types of variables that are important: Independent variable: a factor that is assumed to be responsible for causing or bringing about the value of other factor. The number of hours a person works in a year is an independent variable that influences a person"s annual income. Dependent variable: a factor whose values is assumed to be caused or brought about by the operation of an independent variable i. e. annual income is dependent on number of hours worked. Examples: age is the independent variable which influences legal laws (driving, alcohol consumption)
