SOC 310 Lecture 3: Conceptualization
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Research design by when data is collected: Cohorts -- e. g. , group of people supporting the legalization of pot. Yes, it is reasonable to conclude this. Possible doubts: no observations before 1969; no data between 1985 and 1996. Cohort = group of people sharing one characteristic, most commonly birth year (or generation/birth decade); could also be year of graduating school, etc. Conceptualization is the process of developing concepts, or abstract elements or ideas and notions, and specifying them much more precisely. The end goal: clear and easily understood terms; agreement about what we are talking about. Important part of designing a research study (incl. Being quick to judge (e. g. , drawing conclusions about people before you get to know them) Different conceptualizations give this term very different meanings. All of these can be valid -- you just need to be clear. In a survey, researchers select a sample of individuals, and ask them a series of questions.
