Research Methods in Social Relations

RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL RELATIONS offers a compelling, problem-focused perspective on social science methods. The authors discuss the influence of personal and cultural values on which questions are asked, how they are asked, and how they are addressed in the opening chapter and use this perspective in discussions of specific methods throughout the book. This focus on the importance of conscience and conviction in research on social behavior is a unique and enduring feature of this new Eighth Edition. Ideal for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, this Eighth Edition covers all the major research methods used by social scientists, with special attention devoted to methods that are well-suited to the study of real world social problems. Most of the examples drawn from the published literature or developed specifically for the book concern a social problem for which social science research is relevant. Your students will see how social science research can be used to address questions such as, "To what factors can the escalation of violence in schools be attributed?" "Why, in the midst of an AIDS epidemic to people engage in risky sexual behavior?" and "Can ethnic prejudice be reduced?" As in previous editions, the heart of the book is detailed coverage of a broad array of research methods, ranging from tightly controlled laboratory experimentation to nonintrusive observation of people in their natural environments.