Suchergebnisse

I. The Formulation of the Research Problem and the Choice of the Right Methods -- II. Social Phenomena and Processes -- III. Concepts and Indicators -- IV. Kinds of Propositions -- V. Substantiation of Statements. Empirical Verification of Hypotheses -- VI. Explanation of Events -- VII. Construction of Theories -- VIII. Prediction of Events and Practical Applications of Research Results -- Index of Subjects.

I / Concepts and Indicators in Humanistic Sociology -- II / Verbal Communications As Indicators of Sociological Variables -- III / Meaning and Measurement in Comparative Studies -- IV / Comparative Social Research and Methodological Problems of Sociological Induction -- V / Causal Interpretation of Statistical Relationships in Social Research -- VI / Inductive Inconsistencies and The Problems of Probabilistic Predictions -- VII / Logical and Empirical Assumptions of Validity of Inductions -- VIII / Empirical Knowledge and Social Values in The Cumulative Development of Sociology -- IX / Cultural Norms As Explanatory Constructs in Theories of Social Behavior -- X / Role and Limits of The 'Functional Approach' In Formulation of Theories of Attitudes -- XI / The Logic of Reductive Systematizations of Social and Behavioral Theories -- XII / Values and Knowledge in The Theory of Education: A Paradigm for an Applied Social Science -- Index of Names.

General characteristics of relationships underlying the assumptions of sociological inquiry are addressed. Various theoretical & methodological questions posed at the onset of a research project are delineated; the choice of methodological design tends to arise from the interaction of empirical considerations with specific axiological premises. The concept of "visions" is used to get at the source of philosophical assumptions, which, in turn, determine the validity of research methodologies. Most assumptions entail contradictory elements; the use of "middle-range" ontologies is offered to incorporate such postulates into a complementary theoretical model. 1 Illustration. R. McCarthy.