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Women’s StudiesWomen’s Studies

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Women’s StudiesWomen’s Studies First Wave Feminism

Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792) A Vindication of the Rights of Women is one of the first written works to be called feminist

Suffragette Movement

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Women’s StudiesWomen’s Studies First Wave Feminism

Mary Wollstonecraft’s (1792) A Vindication of the Rights of Women is one of the first written works to be called feminist

Suffragette Movement The World Wars

Nontraditional jobs Women’s professional sports

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Backlash!Backlash!

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Women’s StudiesWomen’s Studies Second Wave Feminism

Fighting for full equality Fighting for control over own body More powerful in regards to voting,

financial issues, education and power

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What is feminism?What is feminism? Feminism is:

A belief in equality for all people Men’s and women’s positions in society

are based on social institutions and social attitudes

Because of these structural inequalities, feminists believe in transforming society on behalf of women

Women’s experiences, concerns, and ideas are as valuable as men’s

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Research Methods in the Research Methods in the Social SciencesSocial Sciences

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Scientific MethodScientific Method

Best way yet discovered for separating truth from untruth

Check your book for steps in the scientific method

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Types of ResearchTypes of Research Basic research

Seeking knowledge for the sake of knowledge

Applied research Seeking solutions to practical problems

Program evaluation Does a social program work?

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Research MethodsResearch Methods

Nonexperimental Methods: Archival research Naturalistic

observation Surveys Case studies Correlational research

Experimental Method

Advantages Describe and

predict behavior Useful when ethical

considerations prevent true experimentation

Causality

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Nonexperimental MethodsNonexperimental Methods Archival research

Comb existing records to test a hypothesis Naturalistic observation

Observe a naturally occurring behavior Survey research

A sample from a population are asked questions about behavior, attitudes, or thoughts

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Nonexperimental MethodsNonexperimental Methods Case Studies

Intensive investigation of an individual or a small group of people

Correlational Research Relationships between two factors are

investigated

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by a mathematical score Ranges from +1.0 to -1.0 Absolute value signifies strength of

relationship Sign signifies nature of the relationship

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by a mathematical score +1.0+1.0 – Perfect positivepositive correlation

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by a mathematical score +1.0+1.0 – Perfect positivepositive correlation -1.0-1.0 – Perfect negativenegative correlation

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

Strength of a relationship is represented by a mathematical score +1.0+1.0 – Perfect positivepositive correlation -1.0-1.0 – Perfect negativenegative correlation 0.00.0 – NoNo correlation = NoNo relationship!

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

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Correlational ResearchCorrelational Research

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

A large-scale study of contraceptive use in Taiwan found that people who had more electrical appliances in their homes were more likely to use birth control.

Does this mean that toasters Does this mean that toasters cause people to use birth cause people to use birth control?control?

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

Correlation Correlation ≠≠ Causation! Causation!

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

When we find a correlation between two variables A and B, there are three possible explanations: Change in A may cause change in B Change in B may cause change in A Change in C may cause change in both A

and B

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

A college professor notices that the farther students sit toward the back of the room, the worse their grades in the course seem to be.

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

A survey of adolescents being treated for eating disorders noted that those who watched the most TV during the week tended to get the lowest ratings on a measure of general health.

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Interpreting CorrelationsInterpreting Correlations

Correlations allow us to describe relationships Describes how two variables change

together, on average, in a large group of individuals

Correlations allow us to predict Stronger correlations allow for stronger

predictions Predictions are never perfect!

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Experimental ResearchExperimental Research Investigates causalcausal relationships

between factors Deliberately induce change in one factor

and observe the effect that change has on other factors

Variable: Event or behavior that can assume at

least two values

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Experimental ResearchExperimental Research Independent variable (IV)

The variable the experimenter manipulates

Physiological Experience Environmental Participant characteristics are often treated as

IVs

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Experimental ResearchExperimental Research Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured Can be measured lots of ways:

Number correct Frequency Amount Duration

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Manipulation, Comparison,Manipulation, Comparison,and Controland Control

IV DV

ManipulateManipulate

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Manipulation, Comparison, Manipulation, Comparison, and Controland Control

IV DV

CompareCompare

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Manipulation, Comparison, Manipulation, Comparison, and Controland Control

IV DV

ControlControl

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Manipulation, Comparison, Manipulation, Comparison, and Controland Control

IV DV

ControlControl

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Random AssignmentRandom Assignment

Individuals have an equal chance of being in the treatment condition as in the control condition

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The Beauty of Random The Beauty of Random AssignmentAssignment

Allows the experimenter to assume the groups are roughly equivalent prior to administering the IV Any external factors that might influence

an experiment should be distributed equally in both the treatment and control groups

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The Beauty of Random The Beauty of Random AssignmentAssignment

Groups may differ in an important way just by chance Statistical procedures tell us likelihood

that results are meaningful

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Key Elements of True Key Elements of True ExperimentsExperiments

An independent variable A dependent variable Random assignment of subjects to

different levels of the IV A concrete hypothesis of how the IV

should affect the DV

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Cumulative Nature of Cumulative Nature of ScienceScience

An experiment or nonexperimental study can answer only a few, very specific questions

Our confidence in scientific findings increasesincreases as: Results are replicated Findings from related studies converge

on the same conclusion