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Research Paradigms - The Social Scientific Paradigm - Key Questions for Social Science

11 important questions on Research Paradigms - The Social Scientific Paradigm - Key Questions for Social Science

What are 9 key questions for social sciences?

1. How do the social sciences differ from the natural sciences?
2. What is the purpose of research?
3. What is reality?
4. What is human nature?
5. Do humans have free will?
6. What is theory?
7. How do you determine if an explanation is good or bad?
8. How do you determine good and bad claims?
9. What is the place of values in social sciences?

Can the "social" part of social science be very unpredictable (The 1st key question for social sciences)

Yes, although social scientists are most concerned with describing and predicting human behavior, the "social" part of social sciences can be very unpredictable. While a biologist might be able to predict the exact composition of behavior of a single-cell organism, social scientists really cannot predict the exact behavior of human beings. There are social variables that make it unpredictable and even with a well conducted study there is still the unknown.

Can the "social" part of social science be very unpredictable (The 1st key question for social sciences)

Yes, although social scientists are most concerned with describing and predicting human behavior, the "social" part of social sciences can be very unpredictable. While a biologist might be able to predict the exact composition of behavior of a single-cell organism, social scientists really cannot predict the exact behavior of human beings. There are social variables that make it unpredictable and even with a well conducted study there is still the unknown.
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Is a key question to ask in every research paradigm "what is the ultimate purpose of the research?" (The 2nd key question for social sciences)

Yes, a key question to ask in every research paradigm is "what is the ultimate purpose of the research?". For a social scientist: discovery of theories that explain and predict human behavior and traits (by collecting data and testing the data with systematically developed theories of human behavior and traits). Important: The process of testing is endless, just as knowledge is endless. Because theories are not perfect. Theories are constantly refined as testing methods improve and as our understanding of phenomena changes

What is reality for social scientists? There are 2 aspects (The 3rd key question for social sciences)

1. For social scientists reality can be observed because reality is "out there" waiting to be observed, explained and identified. Social scientists follow a realist ontology: if we can see and/or touch something, then it's not complex at its basic root.
2. Social scientists view reality as generally stable: our traits and behavior do not change over time, which is why we can conduct research today about human behaviors that can hopefully be viable in the future.

What is human nature to social scientists? (The 4th key question for social sciences)

Social scientists recognize that human beings are still animals (mammals). Humans are self-interested, rational, take steps to avoid pain and seek out pleasure. A social scientist typically tries to observe the stimuli occurring outside the animal.

Do humans have free will? (The 5th key question for social sciences)

Social scientists are deterministic in their thinking: determinism means that they think that humans and their actions are caused by identifiable external forces/ surroundings (culture, people around us, politics, economics etc.) as well as internal make-up (who we are). With determinism backing social scientific thought, we are able to make predictions about human behavior because we can estimate how specific stimuli may lead to change in some behavior(s).

What is theory for social scientists? (The 6th key question for social sciences)

Theory is one of the most important factors in research for a social scientist. The goals of a social scientist are theory testing and theory building.

A social scientific theory involves the following: 
1. A theory can be descriptive, predictive and/or causal in its explanation(s).
2. A theory should clearly outline the situations under which it operates and/or applies
3. For social scientists, a theory should typically have axioms, postulates and theorems, which add to testability of theories.
4. A theory should (if possible) be applicable in various cultural contexts.

How do you determine if an explanation/result is good or bad? (The 7th key question for social sciences)

Social scientists use 2 criteria:
1. Are the results logical? If contradicting, what is the logical response for it or if your results are new: what is the logical explanation for it
2. Replication is key in social science (= repeating experiment to make sure it works the same way for every researcher every time)

How do you determine good and bad claims? (The 8th key question for social sciences)

Claims are weighed based on our knowledge of empirical facts and theory. Popper: "knowledge can't be proven or entirely justified." Thus, refuting claims to knowledge is the never-ending quest that social scientists consider the testing of theory.

What is the place of values in social science? (The 9th key question for social sciences)

Social scientific researchers try to be value-free (objective). A researcher should be a disinterested party, one who observes and reports on phenomena without allowing values/morals to interfere. However, this is not always the case, nor possible since humans are by nature value-laden creatures. Then the job of a social scientist is to recognize the place and impact of values in research.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Understanding Communication Research Methods A Theoretical and Practical Approach | 9781135053628 | Stephen M Croucher, et al

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