Friday, June 17, 2011

CheckPoint: Sociological Research Methods

There are four main research methods that are currently used; experiment, survey, participation observation, and existing sources. Each of these four research methods has their own advantages and disadvantages, and even some limitations. The experimental methods’ purpose is for explanatory research that specifies the relationships between variables. The survey method’s purpose it to gather information about issues that someone cannot directly observe, such as attitudes and values. The survey’s purpose is to study people in their more natural settings. The existing sources methods’ purpose is used whenever there is suitable data that is available.

Now that we have discussed the different types of research methods, I am going to discuss the research methods that are used in an article that I researched on suicide. I will then identify the methodological orientation that best reflects the methods that were used in the article. The article I researched, discussed suicide by jumping, and explains how certain researched helped to find the data that implies that “[suicide by this method tends to be higher in cities, city states, or countries that have extensive high-rise housing. Most suicides by jumping occur from high-rise residential housing units. However, our knowledge about suicide by jumping tends to be limited to a small number of reports from sites, often bridges, which become well-known as places from which to take one's life. Media reports of newsworthy suicides from these sites appear to encourage imitative behavior.]” (Suicide by jumping: A review of research and prevention strategies. 2007).

The research method that is mainly used in this article is the existing sources method. Liked discussed before, this method takes previous data that can be suitable data for this research. A good example of how they would have used existing data would be they looked up all the existing suicide patterns, and found the information pertaining to “jumping” to add the reference to the article. The methodological orientation that best reflects the methods that were used in the article is the scientific orientation. It is pointed out that this is a structural-functional approach.






Suicide by jumping: A review of research and prevention strategies.. (2007). Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention., Vol 28(Suppl 1)(), 58-63. doi:PsycARTICLES. 10.1027/0227-5910.28.S1.58.
Research priorities in suicide prevention in Australia. (2008). Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 29 (4), 180-190. doi:PsycARTICLES 10.1027/0227-5910.29.4.180.

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