Sociology- Observation

-is related to the past experiences of human beings.
-These materials consist of things such as clothes, tools, or furniture.
-MOST OFTEN are written documents like diaries, laws, newspapers, pictures and letters.

-Involves counting the number of times a given word, phrase, idea, or other factor appears in a given context.
-Most commonly used to analyze the content of radio, television. books. newspapers or magazines.

-Involves the use of mathematical data.
-Analyzing data that have already been collected to determine the strength of the relationship that may exist between two or more items.

-Collect data from many people about their attitudes or opinions.
-The researcher then writes down the persons responses or uses a tape recorder to simplify the recording process.
-In person interviews let researchers take into account such cues as facial expressions and tone of voice..

-Observation is probably the most accurate of the research methods.
-Natural observation: the researcher observes from afar.
-Controlled Observation: the researcher sets up a situation to see how people will react to it.
-Participant Observation: the observer is actually involved in the interaction taking place.

-It is a combination of the historical method, statistical analysis, the survey method, and observation.
- It is an intensive study of a person, group or problem.

A man went into a factory to observe workers and some of them noticed him there and they didnt act themselvess.
When people notice a person observing them, they act differently and they do not give the researcher actuate information to work with.

Mario Brajuha was doing a participant observation of a resturant work, when the resturant he was observing burned down. He had taken field notes and wouldnt show them to the police. He was threatened to go to jail. if he didnt hand them over. When the two men under investigiation died, the threats to his family were gone.

Humphery did research on tearooms and men having anonymous sex. For a while, he was the watch queen and looked out for police officers. he had gotten the addresses of some of these men and questioned them at their houses! People though that this reasearch wasnt ethical.

Any topic is a valid topic if it has to do with social interactions.

Validity in conducting ressearch is important becuase what many people believe is common sense, may be the opposite from the truth. in order to prove that something is or isnt true, you need to turn to reliable sources for your information.

The Historical Method
Content Analysis
Statistical Analysis
The Survey Method
Observation
Case Study

-If a sociologist is researching a ssensitive topic. women will be more comfortable talking to another women than a man. Its hard to share feelings with a man if they are researching a topic like rape.
-It is a mistake to assume that what applies to one sex applies to the other. If a sociologist researchers a topic and only talks to men. their work is considered only half done.

They forbid the falsification of results. Research ehtics require openness, honesty and truth.

They found that rapists are not sick, that they are no over whemed by uncontrolledable urgers. Power is a major element in rape. Men who rape believe in the "rape myths"