1、Unit 2 Sociological InvestigationText APreparatory Work (1)Experiment: variable, hypothesis, stimulus, control groupSurvey Research: sampling, questionnaire, interview, close-ended questions, open-ended questions, code sheet, telephone surveyField Research: observation, participantAnalysis of Existi
2、ng Data: content analysis, statistics(2)Hawthorne effect: The Hawthorne effect (also referred to as the observer effect) is a type of reactivity in which individuals modify or improve an aspect of their behavior in response to their awareness of being observed. The original research at the Hawthorne
3、 Works in Cicero, Illinois, on lighting changes and work structure changes such as working hours and break times were originally interpreted by Elton Mayo and others to mean that paying attention to overall worker needs would improve productivity. This interpretation was dubbed “the Hawthorne effect
4、”.(3) (open)Teaching SuggestionYou can use the data banks of the two international organizations to check out the world or any particular countrys information in terms of GDP, population, territory area, human development index etc. The United Nations (http:/www.un.org/en/) : data page: http:/data.u
5、n.org/The World Bank (http:/www.worldbank.org/) : http:/data.worldbank.org/You can also use the website of the Statistical Bureau of China to check out any statistical information about China:http:/ ReadingI. Understanding the text1.Thesis: How Sociology Is Done (Research methods/techniques employed
6、 in sociology)Part Para(s). Main ideaI Introduction 1 Sociology as a science and its main research methods II How do you know what you know?2-9 Authority, tradition, religion, personal experience, and mysticism V.S. scientific methods III The experiment 10-14 It is a research technique in which the
7、researcher manipulates a stimulus to test theories of cause and effect. IV Survey research 15-22 It is used and designed to study samples in order to measure attitudes, beliefs, values, personality traits, and behavior of participants. V Field research 23-29 It is mostly resembles our daily casual o
8、bservations of and participation in social behavior, as well as our attempt to understand such behavior.VI Analysis of existing data 30-36 Its a method in which sociologists analyze data originally collected by others VII Conclusion 37 Thesis repeated: Sociology is a science because it uses scientif
9、ic research methods2.(1) “common sense”: Common sense is a basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge things, which is shared by (“common to”) nearly all people and can reasonably be expected of nearly all people without any need for debate. However, many of the common sense beliefs are actual
10、ly lacking in support from scientific evidences and therefore biased and prejudiced. (2) Ordinary people often define their reality and what they know through authoritative opinions, traditional beliefs, personal experience, and mysticism (superstition). The major differences between this kind of “c
11、ommon sense” view knowledge and the results/facts identified through scientific methods are: the former are not based on logical reasoning and hard evidences and therefore tend to be subjective and biased while the latter are just opposite. (3) The three major components of the scientific method are
12、 theory, operationalization, and observation. Theory provides the foundation for concepts so that statements about the relationship among variables can be created. Operationalization allows for the measurement of the variables so that they may be empirically examined. And observation involves the ac
13、tual collection of data to test the hypothesis. (4)Types of Social Phenomena Content1. Meanings and symbols Aspects of culture such as norms, worldviews, and language 2. Practice Various kinds of behavior such as voting behaviors or morning rituals (for example, washing ones face and reading the dai
14、ly newspaper)3. Episodes A variety of events, including divorce, crime, illness, and how people may react during time of disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or the banning of music television video (MTV)4. Encounters Two or more people meeting and interacting in immediate proximity with one anot
15、her. A good example of this is people riding in an elevator5. Roles The positions people occupy and the behavior associated with those positions: occupations, family roles, ethnic groups6. Relationships The kinds of behavior shown in pairs or sets of roles: mother-daughter relationships, friendships
16、, and so on.7. Groups Small groups, such as gangs, athletic teams, and work groups.8. Organizations Formal organizations, such as corporations or universities9. Settlements Smaller-scale “societies” such as villages, ghettos, and neighborhoods(5)Method and since they are formed and passed down from
17、the past, they might not be applicable to the present world. Religions may contain symbolic stories, which are sometimes said by followers to be true, that have the side purpose of explaining the origin of life, the Universe, and other things. Traditionally, faith, in addition to reason, has been co
18、nsidered a source of religious beliefs. However, religious beliefs mostly lack in empirical or scientific proof. Personal experience is based on ones real life and reality and therefore closer to “reality”, but it is based on an individuals encounter and perspective on reality, and cannot totally re
19、present the common experience shared by a group of people. Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in
20、ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences. But it is based on religion or superstition, even farther away from being objective and scientific. (2) Since sociologists base their research and conclusion on empirical study with scientific meth
21、od, it is similar to the disciplines of natural science, but there are two factors that differentiate it from natural sciences. The object of study is human being who can be very complicated and change with time. Also the sociologists are also human beings who can be subjective or even biased in the
22、ir study. In this sense, sociology is still not equal to natural science in objectivity.(3) The hypothesis of the Stanford prison experiment is that change of roles or environment causes change of human behavior (effect). The independent variable is the two roles （prisoner and prison guard） assigned
23、 to the 24 students who are all randomly selected (sampling) from among the university students, and the dependent variable is their (change of) behavior. (4) First, experiments are often not possible because they would expose subjects to the possibility of harm. For example, what if a researcher wa
24、nted to know whether people who were abused as children are more likely to abuse their children? Second, the subjects often behave differently when they are under scientific observation from the way they would in their normal environment. Third, laboratory experiments are often highly artificial. Wh
25、en researchers try to set up social situations in laboratories, they often must omit many of the factors that would influence the same behavior in a real-life situation, thus affecting the validity of the experiment result. (5) The merits of survey through the Internet are that its very quick (in te
26、rms of time) and efficient (in terms of cost), but the drawbacks are also obvious: not all citizens use the Internet (and therefore excluded from the sampling), and also not all netizens participate in the survey and therefore further affect the survey result. (6) The term often refers simply to the
27、 use of predictive analytics, user behavior analytics, or certain other advanced data analytics methods that extract value from data, and seldom to a particular size of data set. Accuracy in big data may lead to more confident decision making, and better decisions can result in greater operational e
28、fficiency, cost reduction and reduced risk. Relational database management systems and desktop statistics and visualization packages often have difficulty handling big data. The work instead requires “massively parallel software running on tens, hundreds, or even thousands of servers”. Also, those w
29、ho do not use the Internet are excluded from the analysis therefore affect the analysis and conclusion. (7) (This question is open for discussion and theres no definite answer) The Internet companies are caught between the two sides: the government side who emphasize gathering monitoring information
30、 for public security or national security reason, and the netizens who defend their right of “privacy”. Laws should be made regarding the right and responsibility of each side.(8) (This question is open for discussion) How one feels about these statistical figures might be affected by the class, occ
31、upation, gender, region and age group (and other factors) an individual belongs to. And also, the official statistics might not be very accurate. (9) (This question is open for discussion) Obviously, mass media (newspapers, radio, TV, the Internet) are the major channel people get most of their info
32、rmation which is supposed to be true and real. But there are some factors that influence the so-called truth: ownership (private or public), editors stance, class background of the participants (in the Internet) can all influence the information we get from the mass media. Language EnhancementI. Wor
33、ds and phrases 1.(1) C as; of (2) beyond; in (3) by; to (4) into; in; of (5) to; on; of; for (6) of; for; on (7) In; between; with; of (8) to; of; upon (9) In; with (10) like; in; of3. (1) from scratch (2) appealed to (3) applied (4) apply (5) relies on (6) suffering from (7) guard against (8) died
34、off (9) ran out of (10) contribute to4.(1) providefor (2) appeals for (3) appliesto (4) draw from (5) employed in (6) participate in (7) refersto(8) receivedfrom (9) passesfrom (10) exposestoII. Sentences and discourse1.(1) The scientific method bases knowledge on direct and systematic observation t
35、hrough logical systems. (2) Operationalization provides conditions to measure the variables which may be checked empirically. (3) Since religion is a system of beliefs and practices based on worshipping the holy, people easily tend to equate faith to facts or facts to faith. (4) The obvious advantag
36、e of using available data, be it government statistics or the result of other research studies is the savings in time and money. Otherwise, you would need a lot of time and money spent on collecting the information from the very start. (5) The savings are tempting, but the potential error and distor
37、tion from the second-hand data mean that you might not get the “truth”.2. (1) Basing on his overall investigation of Chinas current employment situation, this specialist refuted the view that the population profit has been used up. (2) Thanks to the application of valid and objective survey methods,
38、 sociology became an independent branch of social sciences in the 19th century, transcending philosophy and ordinary social theories.(3) The head of the Academy of Social Sciences asserted that the cut in research funding would have a great impact on its long-term stable development. (4) Due to its
39、limited survey range and invalid unscientific sampling, the poll result of this organization has seriously distorted the reality. (5) The cause of the phenomenon that officials abuse their power is lack of check and balance.(6) He suspects that his rival is bluffing in the negotiation. (7) In conduc
40、ting social investigation, the researcher may easily use indication to manipulate the respondents to get the desired answer. (8) Through the major internet media, this company has clarified its stance to stay and develop its business in China. (9) Faced with continual questions from the reporters at
41、 the press conference, the spokesman had to refer to the documents in his hand for answers. (10)It is believed by some people that the lazy and irresponsible post 80s and 90s generation was largely associated with the fact that they were mostly the only kid in the family. 3.内容分析法可以应用于任何形式的通信交流，是对社会物件的系统分析，其内容包括书籍、杂志、诗歌、报纸、歌曲、绘画、讲演、信函、法律以及与此有关的任何成分或收集物。例如，研究者如果想了解欧洲国家的历史教科书比美国的历史教科书是否含有更多的性别歧视内容，他就会对欧洲国家和美国的历史教科书进行抽样。下一步则是构建编码表，用来测量教科书内容用语的性别歧视程度。根据编码进行列表和分析之后，研究者就能得到结论了。 4. (3) (1) (2) (4)
