Chapter Overview

I honor everyone who is doing science in revolutionary ways, helping us to understand the world more deeply so that we can heal ourselves and our planet.

—Kim Puttman

In Chapter 3, we explored how social scientists explain things in the social world. They propose a theory, an idea about why things happen. They begin to systematically explain, for example, why socioeconomic class is prevalent in industrialized societies or why implicit bias is so common. But how do they pick which theory is right? Which idea works to explain or predict what might happen next?

Because sociologists are scientists, they look for evidence that supports or doesn’t support their theory. They observe people interacting and collect data. They often use the scientific method, a common set of steps that allow them to gather data, analyze the data, and share results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un2yBgIAxYs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi0hwFDQTSQ

You might remember the metaphor for society from Chapter 1. In this comparison, we talked about human society like a forest. Individual trees did not exist in isolation. Instead, they were interdependent. They formed a living community. In the first video (Figure 4.1, top), Canadian biologist Suzanne Simard discusses using the scientific method to find out about tree communication. You might also notice that she employs some other ways of knowing, concepts that we discussed in Chapter 3.

In the second video (Figure 4.1, bottom), researchers apply the scientific method to social problems rather than questions of biology. How many steps in the scientific method can you identify? What kinds of research questions capture the attention of social scientists? In this chapter, we examine the scientific method. We also explore criticism of this method. We investigate other frameworks that support scientists in finding out what is true.

Additionally, social scientists have many ways to collect the information they use to research their questions. The ways in which social scientists collect, analyze, and understand research information are called research methods. We look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of each method. This will help us understand how scientists can be confident in how they make sense of social problems.

Finally, the sociologists who study social problems often hope their findings will support effective action related to a social problem. Like SSSP President Nancy Mezey, who we met in Chapter 1, social problem scientists study and act. We will examine some of the research methods that combine learning and doing.

Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives

Open Content, Original

“Chapter Overview” by Kimberly Puttman is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Open Content, Shared Previously

“Research Methods” definition from Introduction to Sociology 3e by Tanja R. Conerly, Kathleen Holmes, and Asha Lal Tamang, Openstax is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Figure 4.1. “How Trees Talk To Each Other” by Suzanne Simard, TED is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. “The Scientific Method: Steps, Examples, Tips, and Exercise” by Jonas Koblin, Sprouts Schools, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.