four labels of measurement
- nominal
- ordinal
- interval
- ratio
nominal data
verbal category label with no direction or magnitude (e.g. race)
ordinal data
inherent order to categories but no magnitude (e.g. highest education completed)
interval-ratio data
numbers that mean things and the distance between numbers is meaningful (e.g. scale from 1 to 10)
descriptive statistics
ways to summarize a dataset
inferential statistics
ways to use sample data to draw conclusions about a larger population
deductive research
start with theory and use research to test theory
inductive research
start with data collection and then develop theory
abductive research
read a lot, identify surprises in the data, develop theory to explain surprises
three features of qualitative research
- no hypothesis
- not focused on cause/effect
- multiple truths (interpretivist, non-positivist)
five ways to collect data
- photos
- ethnography/participant observation
- documents
- interviews
- social media interactions
five characteristics of research questions for interview studies
- not focused on cause and effect
- answer is not yet known
- narrow enough to be examined in one study
- does not ask the interviewee to do any analysis
Charles Cooley
the “self” emerges from our ability to imagine how others see us
George Herbert Mead
The self is not present at birth, it emerges over time from external interactions and internal feelings about oneself
total institution
an institution in which people are totally immersed and that controls all the basics of day-to-day life
