QUIZ October 7, 2015 based on notes (click on link)
Preliminary Abstract & Thesis (Oct 10)
Write 200 -300 summary of your intention including clear instructions on where and how you will conduct your study as well as the population you will be observing. You must refer specifically to current research and your thesis (what you expect to find. This is a group project and this abstract is due in EACH member's account on October 10th, 2015 in Google classrooms Sociology account (kzmpzi).
Example
Research suggests that all people make empathetic inferences about others, a form of “every day mind reading” (Ickes, 1997, 2003). To the extent that people are skilled at making these inferences, they experience positive social outcomes and well-being and are able to assess whether others “like them” (Ickles, 2009). This ability will lead to them changing their behavior towards those individuals. For example, adolescents who are told other students “like” them will exhibit more positive behavior to those students next time they meet them (Kagan, 1999). 24 students from a suburban high school will be paired with other students that they have no prior relationship with, for a short problem solving task. This is a “blind” study where none of the participants know what the researcher is looking for. After the task, half (6) will be told that another student “liked” them while some will not. The students will be asked to complete a similar task with the same person a week later. All interactions will be observed and assessments made. All participants will be asked to rate their partner on a likeability scale, then interviewed to discuss motivations for their ratings and behavior. Findings will be examined to find whether the inferences people make about likable versus ambiguous targets align with the predictions of balance theory. We hypothesize that people who were told they were liked will perceive greater similarity with the person they were told like them than a person who was ambiguous. To test a second hypothesis on the reciprocity of liking, we will assess those students who supposedly “liked” the other student will actually begin to like the person due to their partner (who believes they liked them) being nicer to them.
Sociology is the study of people in groups. It uses the scientific method and although not absolute, like the physical sciences, it has rules and knowing these rules will make your life easier. These are Social Facts and you can learn more at http://www.soc.duke.edu/~jmoody77/TheoryNotes/rules.htm. Classes are four out of six days and follow a lecture approach with quizes at the end of each section. A major paper must be written every term using the Sociological Method. Check out http://www.geneseo.edu/sociology/sociology_papers for more but we will cover it in class.