The Yale sociologist Kai Erikson wrote a book called Wayward Puritans in which he drew on court records from colonial Massachusetts to understand deviance in the past. He learned that the rate of out-of-wedlock births was much higher than it is now and that the amount of alcohol consumed per capita was higher as well. What research methodology was Erikson using?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Kai Erikson was using comparative-historical research methodology by analyzing court records from colonial Massachusetts to understand deviance in the past. He compared the rate of out-of-wedlock births and alcohol consumption per capita in colonial times to contemporary times.

The Yale Sociologist Kai Erikson Wrote a Book Called Wayward