Deck 2: Paradigms, Theory, and Research

Question 1

Consider the possible relationship between education and prejudice (mentioned in Chapter). How might that relationship be examined through (a) deductive and (b) inductive methods?

Answer 1

The empirical relationship between education and prejudice is generally considered as the pairing attributes and variables.
Attributes: It is the quality which objects possess. It describes the features which appeal the object. In general attribute of an object can be judged as good or bad.
For example: Conservative is a good attribute, and dishonest is a bad attribute.
Variables: A set of attributes form a Variable.
For example: upper, middle, and lower class forms a social class of people.
The two predominant pairings that can be can be considered between education and prejudice
1. Educated and unprejudiced
2. Uneducated and prejudiced
Deductive process is confirming or rejecting whether the research observations are in line with a theory.
The relationship between education and prejudice may be checked by observing the educated and the uneducated, and their displays of intensity of the prejudice.
Inductive process observes large data and derives patterns among them that lead to making of a theory.
The researcher may observe the prejudiced people and identified the factors that co-exist with the display of prejudice. However, level of education may be one of the factors that are correlated with the prejudice.

Question 2

Select a social problem that concerns you, such as war, pollution, overpopulation, prejudice, or poverty. Then, use one of the paradigms in this chapter to address that problem. What would be the main variables involved in the study of that problem, including variables that may cause it or hold the key to its solution?

Answer 2

Poverty is considered as social problem that deprives the affected people in making life choices and blocks the access to the resources of the society. It is a state of one where one lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. It can be defined as either absolute or relative.
Poverty may be viewed with different paradigms. Ethno-methodology is a paradigm that can be used to explain the phenomenon of poverty. Ethno-methodology emphasizes the societal norms, values and other behavioral control agents as the determinants of social regularities.
The beliefs and perceptions associated with income generation could be the key variables that affect the occurrence of the poverty. Also, the child rearing practices also may be observed to confirm the relationship between income earning and the belief system existing in the community.
Along with these variables, prime characteristics like natural calamities, poor quality or lack of governance and community level characteristics like lack of infrastructure living and other characteristics such as demographic, social and economic issues. These above variables are also route a cause to its prevalence.
Variables that hold as a key solution are better educational and infrastructural facilities, effective employment opportunities, clean living environment and health statuses. However, the major solution to all the issues is good governance which enables all these characteristics and variables to be effectively implemented to eradicate poverty.

Question 3

What, in your own words, is the difference between a paradigm and a theory?

Answer 3

A theory is an explanation about a phenomenon using a set of inter-related variables and its effect on the unit of study. The explanations provided in the theory must have a logical basis, and conform to the observations made by the researchers..
A paradigm is a framework of concepts and beliefs that help us to perceive a particular social situation. We possess the paradigms; and they greatly influence our views about a social phenomenon and help us to deal with the environment efficiently.
However, we need to invent new paradigms to tackle the emerging social situations. For example, countries are moving from economic gain maximization to cooperation for the sake of environmental conservation.
The following points explain the differences between a theory and a paradigm:
• A theory evolves about the causal relationships in a phenomenon.
• A theory can be considered as a creation of new and foreign knowledge.
• A theory is always testable and can be falsified.
• A paradigm, on the other hand, refers to a theoretical as well as a philosophical framework.
• A paradigm acts as a frame of reference
Moreover, we develop theories and possess or own paradigms.

Question 4

You have been hired to evaluate how well a particular health maintenance organization (HMO) serves the needs of its clients. How might you implement this study using each of the following: (a) the interactionist paradigm, (b) the social systems or functionalist paradigm, (c) the conflict paradigm?