Science, Social Science, and Political Science Research
Ray Block, Jr.
PS #585
Research Methods
Today’s Blueprint
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What is Science?
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“Hard” vs. “Soft” Science
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The Scientific Method
What is Science?
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How people think of science:
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“Science is what scientists do”
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“Sciences are disciplines”
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“I don’t know what science is, but I know what science ain’t”
What is Science?
“[Science is] the field of study which attempts to describe and
understand the nature of the universe in whole or part." –J.P. Siepmann
(1999)
8 major characteristics of science:
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Science is logical
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Science is deterministic
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Science is general (or generalizable)
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Science is parsimonious
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Science is specific
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Science is empirically verifiable/falsifiable
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Science is objective (really, it is inter-subjective)
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Science is open to modification
“Hard” vs. “Soft” Science
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“Hard” sciences = Natural sciences
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“Soft” sciences = Social and behavioral sciences
List of "Soft" Sciences
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Anthropology
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Atmospheric Sciences Program
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Economics
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Geography
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International Studies
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Journalism and Communication
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Political Science
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Psychology
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Public Policy and Management
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Sociology
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Speech and Hearing Science
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“Hard” vs. “Soft” Science
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Biological Sciences
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Engineering
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Food, agricultural, and environmental
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Human ecology
List of "Hard Sciences
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Mathematical and Physical Sciences
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Medicine and Public Health
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Biomedical Science
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Military?
"Hard” and “soft” sciences differ in what they study:
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The things hard scientists study are [more] clearly defined
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Ex.) There is reasonable agreement over what protons, stars, and organisms
are. They can be [more] precisely measured
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The things soft scientists study are NOT as clearly defined
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Ex.) It is tough to get researchers to agree on what power, trust, and
oppression are. They are vague(r) concepts.
“Hard” vs. “Soft” Science
"Everyone knows the social sciences are hypercomplex. They are inherently
far more difficult than physics and chemistry, and as a result they, not
physics and chemistry, should be called the hard sciences. They just seem
easier, because we can talk with other human beings but not with photons,
gluons, and sulfide radicals.”—Edward O. Wilson (1998a)
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The goal of “hard” science: Seeking universal truths
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The goal of “soft” science: Measuring social concepts appropriately
The Scientific Method
What is research?
“A” [not “the”] process through which new knowledge is discovered."
(Salkind 2003)
Science = Part art; part science
“Scientific research is an art form in this sense: It does not matter
how you make a discovery, only if your claim is true and convincingly validated.
The ideal scientist thinks like a poet and works like a bookkeeper, and
I suppose that if gifted with a full quiver, he also writes like a journalist.”
Edward O. Wilson (1998b)
What makes for good research?
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It is based on the work of others
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It can be replicated
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It is generalizable to other settings
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It is based on some rationale and is tied to a theory
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It is doable
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It generates new questions
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It is incremental in nature
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It is minimally biased (or at least inter-subjective)
Scientific method = Recipe for doing good research
Helps Researchers to:
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Construct accurate representations of the world
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Minimize the effect of personal biases in their research
The Research Process:
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Asking Questions
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Formulating Hypotheses
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Collecting Data
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Testing Hypotheses
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Reconsidering Theory
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Go Back to Step 1
References (FYI):
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Babbie, Earl. 1973. Survey Research Methods. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Publishing.
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Carmines, Edward G. and Richard A. Zeller. 1979. Reliability and Validity
Assessment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
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Salkind, Neil.2003. Exploring Research, 5th Edition. New York,
NY: Prentice Hall.
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Siepmann, JP. 1999. “What is Science?” Editorial in Journal of Theoretics.
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Wilson, Edward O. 1998. Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge. New
York: Vintage Press.
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Wilson, Edward O. 1998. “Scientists, Scholars, Knaves and Fools.” American
Scientist 86(1).