Variability arises when you observe more than one person
o
One person = no variability
Does this question have variability?
Is Dr. Fulton in this classroom right now?
Hint: you are asking one person: ME
No, because asking one person
Observing one person
How many classes do you have today?
This has variability because asking a lot of people
Differing answers
How much does my pet weigh?
To clarify: you have your pet zebra at home, you
ask how much does my pet zebra weigh?
No
What is the average # of students in a class at PSU?
Yes it’s a variable question
Lot of different classes
Fundamentals of Sociological Methods
°
I. Concepts and Variables
a. Concept:
a mental image that groups together a set of similar
Observations
Feelings
Ideas
Concept: Gender
a.
Groups different characteristics of a person
b.
Makeup, long hair [feminine]
c.
Hawk-like nose, tattoos, skateboard
b.
Variable:
a logical collection of attributes (values)
c.
Attributes:
The values
a variable can take
d.
Operationalize:
List the steps you take to turn a concept into a
measurable variable
For simple concepts, simply list the attributes
Example: Operationalize Gender
a.
Concept: Gender
b.
Variable: Gender
c. Attributes:
i.
Masculine
ii.
Feminine
iii.
TGQN
Nike, reebok, adidas can all be considered attributes of the
variable tennis shoe brands
°
II. Independent and Dependent
Independent Variable
o
A Cause- causes something to happen
“What causes people to smoke weed”
o
Something that influences something else
Dependent Variable
o
A result- the result of something happening
o
Influenced by something
°
Higher education causes higher income
Independent: education
Dependent: income
°
III. Direction of Relationship
As education increases, income increases: Positive Relationship
because both arrows point in same direction
°
IV. Hypothesis
°
°
Distribution:
The number of cases at each attribute of a variable
°
Case:
the unit being studied
°
Case
Variable
Attribute
Person
Beers per Week
82
°
Universi
ty
°
Graduation Rate
°
82%
Person
GPA
2.7
°
Universi
ty
°
Percent in state
°
75%
°
°
°
°
°
Elementary schools in PA annually report each child’s BMI to the child’s
parents. The children in one elementary school are weighed by a nurse. The
nurse weighs a child named Sarah Lu. Here, Sarah Lu is
the case. Because
she is the person being studied
°
Turns out Sarah Lu weighs 48 pounds. Here “48” is one
of many
possible
attributes.
°
°
Univariate Table
One Variable
Describes the distribution of cases across the attributes of one
variable
°
Percent
“Per centum” which means out of 100
A percent is a fraction which we convert to a fraction of 100
We use them so we can compare different-sized groups (with
different denominators)
°
°
Bivariate Table
“Two variable”
analyzing 2 variable
Describes the distribution of cases across the attributes of one
variable for two different groups
Displays whether independent variable affects dependent variable.
