Page 67 - Sociology and You

U S I N G
Your Sociological Imagination
Two headlines appear on the front page of two different papers in the newsstand. The first reads “Cure for Alzheimer’s disease just around the corner.” The second, while more accurate, is less ex- citing. It reads “Scientists cautiously declare that a promising—but as yet unduplicated— test result may lead to some small progress in the long-term effort to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.”
Which paper do you think would sell more copies? Like savvy news editors, you probably know that both fear and hope are emotions that sell papers. For this reason, research results, especially on social and health studies, are often exaggerated by the media.
We routinely read that tomato sauce can prevent prostate cancer, that tea prevents heart disease, and that eating blueberries can reduce the effects of aging and improve short-term memory. On the other hand, milk, eggs, anger, too-strict parenting, too- lax parenting, and marrying before age thirty have all been blamed for various deadly diseases and social disorders. To fur- ther complicate matters, stories often contra- dict each other from week to week. Caffeine, fish, milk, and butter are only some of the products that can heal or harm, depending on the date.
People who know what questions to ask about research reports can better protect themselves from acting on inaccurate infor- mation. Chapter 2 will look at some of the basic research methods used by sociologists and explore the area of ethics in social research.
Sections
1. Research Methods
2. Causation in Science
3. Procedures and Ethics in Research
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to
❖ describe the basic quantitative and qualita- tive research methods used by sociologists.
❖ discuss basic research concepts, including variables and correlations.
❖ list the standards for proving cause-and- effect relationships.
❖ explain the steps sociologists use to guide their research.
❖ discuss ethics in sociological research.
Chapter Overview
Visit the Sociology and You Web site at soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 2— Chapter Overviews to preview chapter information.
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