WHY DO RESEARCH?than younger or older children. Active parental
involvement with a child lessens any negative be-
havioral consequences from child care. Another
study (Love et al., 2003) showed that child care
centers vary widely in quality. Quality of care
makes a bigger difference than amount of time in
care or whether parents or a care center is provid-
ing the care. Another study (Sosinsky, Lord, and
Zigler, 2007) learned that care center quality was
generally higher in nonprofit, nonreligiously affil-
iated centers than other types. Based on these find-
ings, a couple may decide to look for a specific type
of child care center, devote time to checking into
the quality of care it offers, and make special ef-
forts to encourage their child’s social skill devel-
opment. The studies are not only relevant for
specific parents but also have implications for pub-
lic policy and how a community addresses child
care issues.
Social science research yields valuable infor-
mation and expands our understanding, but it is not
100 percent foolproof. It does not guarantee perfect
results every time or offer “absolute truth.” This may
be why some people distrust research-based knowl-
edge or why some people, including a few media
commentators, even ridicule professional re-
searchers and study results. Despite some derision,
in a head-to-head comparison with the alternative
ways we can learn about the world and make deci-
sions, research readily wins hands-down. This is
why professionals, educated people, and respon-
sible leaders consistently turn to the methods, prin-
ciples, and findings of social research when they
want to learn more or make important decisions.
This text considers both the methodology and
methods of social science research. The terms may
seem to be synonyms, but methodology is broader
and envelops methods. Methodologymeans under-
standing the entire research process—including its
social-organizational context, philosophical as-
sumptions, ethical principles, and the political im-
pact of new knowledge from the research enterprise.
Methodsrefer to the collection of specific tech-
niques we use in a study to select cases, measure
and observe social life, gather and refine data, ana-
lyze data, and report on results. The two are closely
linked and interdependent.
Reading and doing social research can be ex-
citing: It is a process of discovery in which we learn
many new things. Doing social science research re-
quires persistence, personal integrity, tolerance for
ambiguity, interaction with others, and pride in
doing top-quality work. It also requires logical
thinking, carefully following rules, and repeating
steps over and again. In the research process, we
join theories or ideas with facts in a systematic way.
We also use our creativity. To conduct a study, we
must organize and plan. We need to select research
methods appropriate to a specific question. We must
always treat the study participants in an ethical or
moral way. In addition, we need to communicate to
others how we conducted a study and what we
learned from it.
In this chapter, we consider some alternatives
to social science research and why research is pre-
ferred. We next examine how the enterprise of sci-
entific research works, including the steps in doing
a research study and types of social science studies.ALTERNATIVES TO SOCIAL
SCIENCE RESEARCH
In this section, we look at four commonly used
alternatives to social science research that many
people rely on to acquire knowledge and make
decisions:Personal experience and common sense
Experts and authorities
Popular and media messages
Ideological beliefs and valuesKnowledge from Personal Experience
and Common Sense
If something happens to us, if we personally see it
or experience it, we probably accept it as true. Per-
sonal experience or “seeing is believing” is a pow-
erful type of knowledge. Unfortunately, it can also
lead us astray. Something similar to an optical illu-
sion or mirage can occur. What appears to be true
actually is due to an illusion, yet the power of im-
mediacy and direct personal contact is so strong that
we easily fall for illusions without even realizing it.