Class notes
Theory and Epistemology
- Institution
- Trent University (TrentU )
various definitions regarding concepts in research
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
January 20th, 2021SOCI2151H Week 2: Theory and Epistemology
Reading: Chapter 2 and The Logic of Science in Sociology
Lecture
Part One: Key Principles and Definitions
Logic: Theoretical sense that has no contradiction with actual observation
Objectivity: ability to see the world as it really is (without bias)
Positivism: early school of thought in science that relies upon cause and effect
empirical evidence (studies society the same as natural sciences)
● Used in the 1800s
● Durkheim used positivist logic to study suicide
Ontological Assumptions: answer questions “what exists? What is real?”
● Theory
Epistemological Assumptions: answer the question “how do I know that something is
true?”
● Method
Empiricism: a way of knowing the world by relying on what we experience through our
senses
● Empirical evidence
● Observations must be replicable (reliable)
● Peer reviewed journals based off of empirical evidence
Paradigm: a category of ontological and epistemological knowledge
● The fundamental models/frames of reference we use to organize our
observations and reasoning
● A single building block of what is known → each block contributes to a
greater wall of understanding
○ Eg. conflict theory, functionalist theory, symbolic interactionalist theory,
feminist theory
Aggregate: statistics produced for broad groups or categories (a sum total of the
individual experience
● Collectivity! People act as groups with some degree of common purpose
, 2
○ Eg. households, companies, institutions
Variable: The attributes (characteristics) which are fixed for each person in a way which
renders it amenable to numerical analysis
● Reflecting variation within a population
○ Eg. SES, age, housing type, etc
Cyclical: the ongoing relationship between theory and research
● Look at theory, apply method, go back to theory, etc
● Quantitative
Walter L. Wallace’s The Logic of Science in Sociology (1971)
● Theory → hypothesis → observations → empirical generalizations
● Deductive reasoning inductive reasoning
● Cycle continues
Part Two: Theory and Research: Logical Systems of Deduction and Induction in
Social Research
1. Ideographic (qualitative) and Nomothetic (quantitative) Explanation
● Researchers attempt to make empirical generalizations about what they discover
in their research
○ Based on whatever patterns emerge from the data collected to explain
and predict observed social phenomena
Empirical Generalizations:
● To explain and predict observed social phenomena
○ If we systematically observe how a phenomenon works, then we may
apply those findings to other, similar situations in order to build and
contribute evidence to that particular paradigm of scientific knowledge
Ideographic Explanation
● These explanations from respondents offers the researcher very rich depth of
meaning in the words/language people use to express themselves
○ Describe single cases exhaustively
■ Unique records to fully understand the causes of what happened in
a particular instance
Nomothetic Explanation
● The study of scientific laws
● Seeks to explain a class of situations or events rather than a single one
○ Settles for a practical rather than a full explanation
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller carolinehenson. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for CA$10.88. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75632 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now