Page 47 - Essencials of Sociology

20 CHAPTER 1 The Sociological Perspective

Read on MySocLab How Theory and Research Work Together
Document: Herbert Blumer, The Theory cannot stand alone. Nor can research. As sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959)
Nature of Symbolic Interactionism
argued so forcefully, theory without research is abstract and empty. But research without
theory, Mills added, is simply a collection of unrelated “facts.”
macro-level analysis an exami- Theory and research, then, are both essential for sociology. Every theory must be
nation of large-scale patterns of tested, which requires research. And as sociologists do research, often coming up with
society; such as how Wall Street surprising findings, those results must be explained: For that, we need theory. As soci-
and the political establishment are ologists study social life, then, they combine research and theory.
interrelated
And how do sociologists do research? Let’s find out.

Doing Sociological Research
Explain why common sense
1.5
can’t replace sociological research.
Around the globe, people make assumptions about the way the world “is.” Common
sense, the things that “everyone knows are true,” may or may not be true, however. It
takes research to find out. Are you ready to test your own common sense? Take the little
micro-level analysis an examina- quiz below.
tion of small-scale patterns of soci- As you can see, to understand social life, we need to move beyond “common sense”
ety; such as how the members of a and learn what is really going on. Let’s look at how sociologists do their research.
group interact

A Research Model
Know the 8 steps of the
1.6
research model.
As shown in Figure 1.6 on the next page, scientific research follows eight basic steps.
This is an ideal model, however, and in the real world of research, some of these steps
social interaction one person’s may run together. Some may even be omitted.
actions influencing someone else;
usually refers to what people do
when they are in one another’s 1. Selecting a Topic
presence, but also includes com- The first step is to select a topic. What do you want to know more about? Many soci-
munications at a distance
ologists simply follow their curiosity, their drive to learn more about social life. They
nonverbal interaction com- become interested in a particular topic and they pursue it, as I did in studying the home-
munication without words through less. Some sociologists choose a topic because funding is available, others because they
gestures, use of space, silence, and want to help people better understand a social problem—and perhaps to help solve it.
so on
Let’s use spouse abuse as our example.

Down-to-Earth Sociology

Enjoying a Sociology Quiz—Testing Your Common Sense

ome findings of sociology support commonsense 4. True/False It is more dangerous to walk near topless
understandings of social life, and others contradict them. bars than fast-food restaurants.
SCan you tell the difference? To enjoy this quiz, complete all 5. True/False Most rapists are mentally ill.
the questions before turning the page to check your answers. 6. True/False A large percentage of terrorists are mentally ill.
7. True/False Most people on welfare are lazy and looking
1. True/False More U.S. students are killed in school shoot- for a handout. They could work if they wanted to.
ings now than ten or fifteen years ago. 8. True/False Compared with women, men make more eye
2. True/False The earnings of U.S. women have just about contact in face-to-face conversations.
caught up with those of U.S. men. 9. True/False As measured by their divorce rate, couples
3. True/False With life so rushed and more women work- who live together before marriage are usually more satis-
ing for wages, today’s parents spend less time with their fied with their marriages than couples who did not live
children than parents of previous generations did. together before marriage.