Scientific Research Methods in Social Science Explained

Working Methods of Social Science

Chance is chance. Every cause has its effect, and every effect has a cause; however, causality is not always permitted to function in isolation. To work at a scientific level is to utilize a method: in its most common sense, this refers to the medium through which one reaches a goal.

Sociology differs from natural sciences in that it cannot always repeat an approach; yet, the social sciences still employ a rigorous method of work. A scientific method is a set of principles and actions that lead research toward the truth, always based on facts. These rules channel scientific activity based on two premises:

• Prediction: The previous announcement of a fact that will occur.
• Forecast: The anticipation of an event through specific signs and tokens.

Features of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is characterized by being: objective, systematic, logical, self-correcting, transcendental, interpretive, verifiable, communicable, and reproducible.

Data Interpretation and Knowledge

The primary aim is the interpretation of data, as opposed to speculation, which is a baseless projection of reality. Human knowledge attempts to ensure a proper correspondence between reality and the judgments we form. This can be obtained through two methods:

• Vulgar or Common Knowledge: Formed by the combination of instinctive curiosity and the urgency of meeting intellectual needs.
• Scientific Knowledge: Generated by the need for individuals or groups to verify that events follow a certain internal logic.

Understanding Variables

A variable is anything that can cause changes in the results of an experiment. There are three primary types:

• Independent: Adjusted by researchers to see if changes occur in other variables.
• Dependent: Takes different values depending on the changes experienced by the independent variable.
• Controlled: Variables kept constant to ensure experimental integrity.

General Logical Methods

There are four methods of a general logical character:

1. Deductive
2. Inductive
3. Analytical: Involves the decomposition of a whole into its simplest elements to understand its structure.
4. Experimental: Based on the concept of the experiment—a practical examination performed in a laboratory to test the effectiveness of a subject or examine its properties.