...Research methods in Sociology and Anthropology: Approaches to research and their justification WGU Research methods in Sociology and Anthropology: Approaches to research and their justification The Behavioral Sciences are comprised of Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology. All three sciences study human behaviors, but the goals and focus of each specialty differ from the others. In this paper I will discuss research methods employed by Sociologists and Cultural Anthropologists, and the justifications for the use of these methods. The paper will conclude with comparing and contrasting the described approaches to research. A. Sociologists study social behavior of groups and focus on the interactions among different social groups. They look for repeating patterns in society. Two tools used by Sociologists to conduct their research are Surveys and Secondary Analysis. Surveys are usually utilized to collect data from a large population. Sometimes a representative sample of the target population is surveyed. The study subjects are asked a set of questions, which the researchers then use to compare answers from different groups, or to draw conclusions about similarities or differences. The questions are often carefully designed to illicit a specific response. Sometimes the subjects have to choose from a given set of answers. These methods of questioning are geared towards producing uniform data, which can be statistically analyzed. One advantage of conducting surveys...
Words: 1121 - Pages: 5
...WGU GLT1 Behavioral Science Survey and Issues in Behavioral Science - Complete Course All 4 Tasks http://www.homeworkminutes.com/answer/view/40114 If You Face Any Problem E- Mail Us At JohnMate1122@gmail.com WGU GLT1 Task 1 Two examples of native non-western cultures that have been impacted by globalization are Japan and China. In 1971 the first McDonalds was introduced to Japanese culture. Japanese culture places a lot of importance on food and traditions. One of those traditions is Obentos. The practice of Obentos includes meals being made by mothers for their children in a precise way. These carefully thought out healthy meals were meant to sustain children throughout the day and give them quality nutrition so that they could focus on their studies. The precise way the meal was made was also meant to mirror the role of a Japanese citizen. The introduction of fast food has not only had an impact on Obentos, it has also impacted obesity in Japan. Obesity rates have risen from 3% prior to the introduction of fast food, to 10% currently. Japan now has the second largest amount of McDonald’s franchises in the world, after the USA. WGU GLT1 Task 2 Drug or substance abuse is a socially significant problem in the United States that affects us all. Drug abuse can significantly impact families and communities. Thirty one percent of America's homeless suffer from drug abuse or alcoholism. As many as sixty percent of adults in Federal prisons are there...
Words: 751 - Pages: 4
...Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000–000 Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 30 (2011) 1416 – 1424 Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia WCPCG 2011 The relationship between study skills and academic performance of university students Afsaneh Hassanbeigi a, Jafar Askari b, Mina Nakhjavanic, Shima Shirkhodad, Kazem Barzegar e, Mohammad R. Mozayyan f, Hossien Fallahzadehg * 1 b a Mental Hospital, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Department of Psychology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran c Medical Student, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran d Medical Student, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran e School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran f School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran g School of Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran Abstract Objective: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between various study skills and academic performance of university students. Materials & Methods: A total of 179 male and female junior and senior medical and dental students participated in the present study. The instrument was "Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire" taken from counseling services of Houston University. The content validity of this questionnaire was approved by ten psychologist and faculty...
Words: 6086 - Pages: 25
...CONTRIBUTION OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES The behavioural science approach is concerned with the social and psychological aspects of human behaviour in organisation. The understanding of human behavior was enhanced by contributions not only from the traditional disciplines of psychology, sociology, and anthropology, but also from social economics, political science, linguistics, and education. The interrelationships of these various disciplines are now referred to collectively as the “behavioral sciences.” The behavioral science approach is oriented toward economic objectives, concerned with the total climate, and consistent with the development of interpersonal competence. It is a humanistic approach. The use of groups and employee participation in the achievement of organizational objectives, including the management of change, is now a formally recognized field of study in universities worldwide. Managers draw upon the results of these studies regularly in managing staffs. It is not just an HRM field of endeavor. Managers worldwide apply the concepts in everyday activities. Many current management ideas and practices can be traced to the behavioral science approach. Some importance elements of behavioral science approach are highlighted below 1. Individuals differ in terms of their attitudes, perception and value systems. Therefore, they react differently to the same situation. 2. People working in an organisation have their needs and goals, which may differ...
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...Neuron, Vol. 44, 379–387, October 14, 2004, Copyright 2004 by Cell Press Neural Correlates of Behavioral Preference for Culturally Familiar Drinks neural responses, and the modulation of both by nonodor or nonflavor stimuli—that is, the sensory problem. Ultimately, such sensory discriminations and the vari- Samuel M. McClure,1,2 Jian Li,1 Damon Tomlin, Kim S. Cypert, Latane´ M. Montague, and P. Read Montague* Department of Neuroscience ables that influence them serve to influence expressed Menninger Department of Psychiatry behavioral preferences. Hence, there is another large and Behavioral Sciences piece of the problem to understand. For modern huBaylor College of Medicine mans, behavioral preferences for food and beverages 1 Baylor Plaza are potentially modulated by an enormous number of Houston, Texas 77030 sensory variables, hedonic states, expectations, semantic priming, and social context. This assertion can be illustrated with a quote from Anderson and Sobel (2003) Summary profiling the work of Small et al. (2003) on taste intensity and pleasantness processing: Coca-Cola (Coke) and Pepsi are nearly identical in chemical composition, yet humans routinely display “A salad of perfectly grilled woodsy-flavored calastrong subjective preferences for one or the other. mari paired with subtly bitter pale green leaves of curly endive and succulent petals of tomato flesh in This simple observation raises the important question a deep, rich balsamic dressing...
Words: 7605 - Pages: 31
...Theoretical models of decision-making, and their neuroscientific underpinnings Introduction In this essay I would like to focus the theoretical models of decision making that have come from psychology, cognitive and ecological alike, and review relevant literature from cognitive neuroscience that may or may not provide neural foundation for the claims that they have formulated. The reason for which I find it interesting to contrast these two approaches is there different outlook on the concept of “bias”. Traditional – closed systems - approaches to decision-making The investigation of decision-making is a multidisciplinary endeavor with researchers approaching the area from different fields and applying numerous different models (Hastie, 2001). The normative model of decision-making originates from mathematics and economics and the most prominent normative model is perhaps Subjectively Expected Utility (SEU; Savage, 1954). This model of rational behavior implies that people act as if they are calculating the "expected utility" of each option, choosing the one that they believe has the highest value. It has been criticized however, as some researchers doubted whether humans actually perform the mental multiplications and additions suggested by SEU. Simon (1955) was the first to challenge the assumptions of optimizing decision theories (such as SEU) making strong arguments concerning the limited capacity of the decision maker, for which he introduced the term “bounded rationality”...
Words: 4800 - Pages: 20
...Does theory of mind develop gradually or is there a radical conceptual shift between the ages of 3 and 4 years? Explain how research evidence supports your views. From an evolutionary perspective, the complex and highly functional psychological abilities can be seen as a product of a continuous adaptation process. Well-developed mental skills form the basis of humans complex and advanced mental functioning, both interpersonal and intrapsychologically. One of these advanced mental abilities is the capability to attribute emotions, intentions and knowledge within yourself and others (Flavell, 2004). This is a form of social cognition or a mental understanding that within developmental psychology is termed “Theory of Mind”. It is often said that children start to develop a “Theory of Mind” at the age between 3 to 5 years (Premack & Woodruff, 1978), but scientists have always had different views and opinions about when and how Theory of Mind develops. Some researchers believe that this development happens gradually, while others believe there is a conceptual shift between the ages of 3 and 4. I will in this essay evaluate and discuss the different viewpoints with the support of previous research evidence. Within the theory of mind approach, the ability to attribute mental states to others is considered evidence for children having developed a psychological understanding of the mind as representational – that is, they have realised that what is in the mind is only a representation...
Words: 2093 - Pages: 9
...contradictory, pay little attention to motivation, and make hasty pronouncements on what should be done without examining time assumptions underlying such pronouncements. As such, these principles do not represent the heart of knowledge of management but a small part of the total body of administrative management. As a reaction to schools of classical theory which over-emphasized the mechanical and physiological characters of management, came up the schools of neoclassical theory with a more human-oriented approach and emphasis on time needs, drives, behaviors and attitudes of individuals. Another impetus was the development of the concepts of industrial psychology around the same time. Two important groups, namely, human relations school and behavioral schools emerged during 1920s and 1930s under the neoclassical theory. Often names of two persons mentioned from the period earlier to neoclassical theory are Robert Owen and Andrew Ure. As Young Welsh factory...
Words: 5551 - Pages: 23
... learning is viewed as only one of the many processes comprised by the human mind (Anderson, 1980). Some approaches deal with detailed analyses of information-processing skills, while others focus on mental models or cognitive growth and development (Mayer, 1981). Milestones in the Development of Cognitive Science Much of the history of this formulation has been told by Gardner (1985), though his chapter on psychology contains comparatively little on the recent contributions of psychology to cognitive science, focusing mainly on historical theories of perception and cognition, such as those of Wundt and the Gestaltists. The theoretical center piece of traditional cognitive science is the computer analogy, or, more accurately, the assertion that animal and human psychology occurs through computational processes in organisms involving physical symbol systems (Fodor, 1975; Newell, 1980). According to Anderson (1980), cognitive psychology first emerged in the two decades between 1950 and 1970. This impression feeds a story that as a result of symposia on neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and information theory in the period of 1948 to 1956, cognitive science was born, which in turn allowed cognitive psychology to develop (Gardner, 1985). Allegedly, in the meantime, Chomsky (1959) finished off behaviorism with his...
Words: 2057 - Pages: 9
...Behavioral Sciences ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Behavioral Sciences! Task 1: Anthropology! July 20, 2014! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1 Behavioral Sciences Globalization is not a new concept. It is a historical phenomenon that has been going on since ancient civilizations began to expand their territories. Globalization can be defined as the free movement of goods, services and people across the world in a seamless and integrated manner. (managementstudyguide.com, 2013) In this paper I will discuss two different examples of how native non western cultures have been impacted by globalization.! A. ! I chose to discuss the impact that a major food chain ,McDonalds, has had on the culture in China. McDonalds appeared in China in 1990, at this time there weren't many western food restaurants. (Griffith, 2008) The income level was low, but McDonalds set its prices relatively high, establishing itself as a high end restaurant. White collar workers chose to dine there, thus making McDonalds a fashionable hot spot. McDonalds is also very geared towards children. Due to the one child policy in China, parents dote and at times give in excess to their child, making McDonalds very successful. McDonald’s high prices made dinning there for the average Chinese citizen a luxury, and was valued as a special occasion. ! I chose to discuss the impact of Christianity on Africa for my second topic. The traditional African society believed in the existence of many Gods, where all objects...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...(OD)is a process by which behavioral science knowledge and practices are used to help organizations achieve greater effectiveness, including improved quality of work life and increased productivity (Cummings, & Huse, 1989). In the 1950s and 1960s a new, integrated approach originated known as Organization Development (OD): the systematic application of behavioral science knowledge at various levels (group, intergroup, and total organization) to bring about planned change (Newstrom & Davis, 1993) Organizational development As defined by Richard Beckhard, "Organizational development" (OD) is a planned, top-down, organization-wide effort to increase the organization's effectiveness and health. OD is achieved through interventions in the organization's "processes," using behavioural science knowledge. According to Warren Bennis, OD is a complex strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges. Warner Burke emphasizes that OD is not just "anything done to better an organization"; it is a particular kind of change process designed to bring about a particular kind of end result. OD involves organizational reflection, system improvement, planning, and self-analysis. Change Agent A change agent in the sense used here is not a technical expert skilled in such functional areas as accounting, production, or finance. He is a behavioral scientist who knows how to...
Words: 3449 - Pages: 14
...an applied behavioral science built on concepts contributed by a number of related behavioral disciplines. The most influential members of the Organizational Behavior team are psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Study of these four disciplines helps one understand the underlying principles that build the overall science of Organizational Behavior. A simple composite definition of Organizational Behavior could be a science that studies the behavior, influence, relationship, and activity within groups. The discipline of Organizational Behavior helps one apply the knowledge and understanding gained from the study of groups to manipulate the activities of the group to achieve specific goals. Organizational Behavior Disciplines It frequently requires a team to accomplish a task. Each member of a well-balanced team contributes a meaningful part of the entire effort to complete the task successfully. This team concept can be applied to the study of Organizational Behavior. Organizational Behavior is an applied behavioral science built on concepts contributed by a number of related behavioral disciplines (Robins & Judge, 2009). The most influential members of the Organizational Behavior team are psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology (see Appendix). Study of these four disciplines helps one understand the underlying principles that build the overall science of Organizational Behavior. Psychology Psychology is a science that tries to...
Words: 1659 - Pages: 7
...Introduction Organizational behavior is the study of the behavior of individuals in organizations. It studies the science and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. The purpose of the study is to improve relationships in organizational context and therefore improve the process of achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Definition of organizational behavior “Actions and attitudes of individuals and groups toward one another and toward the organization as a whole, and its effect on the organization's functioning and performance.” Evolution of Management theory Behavioral science approach This Approach focuses on the psychological and sociological processes that influence the performance of workers. This approach focuses on the workers, not the job itself. The behavioral science was influenced to a large extent by the human relations movement, namely the Hawthorne experiments (e.g. influence of lightning on performance etc.) in the 1930s. Human relations approach The human relations approach evolved in the 1960s and included research from Herzberg, Maslow, and McGregor etc. They tried to find ways to motivate employees based on their needs. 1. McGregor X and Y theory McGregor stated the XY theory of management that says that there are two types of management approaches. A type Y manager sees people as individuals with intrinsic motivation to achieve the organizational goals. Therefore the job of...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...Çağ University Institute of Social Sciences English Language Teaching Department Note-taking and Listening Comprehension of Conversations and Mini-Lectures Any Benefit? Sinan Özyurt M.A. Thesis Proposal May, 2013 1. Introduction 1.1 Background of the study How to instruct listening has been an important issue for both teachers and researchers for a long time. Although much emphasis has been done on the significance of listening, there is still little known about how to increase students’ listening skills. That is because teachers often have a tendency to make more focus on reading, writing, and speaking rather than listening as a receptive skill in their language classes. However, in time, it has been understood that listening is challenging for almost any language learners because a great many of them do not have any idea on how to be effective learners in listening and succeed in listening tasks. That is why, most of the time our students’ listening skills are not as improved as we expect them to be. This somehow results in their inefficiency in listening comprehension as well. Considering this, our students might even feel demotivated towards listening lectures, which is something not desired by any teachers. 1.2 Statement of the Problem As teachers, we often expect our students to do their listening tasks or activities as efficiently as possible. Even though we do our best to enhance our students’ listening skills, there is still much to do when considering...
Words: 2761 - Pages: 12
...Organizational Behavior Paper Ashley Anderson MGT/312 5/4/15 Ms. Emrich Organizational Behavior Paper Organizational behavior is particularly relevant in the field of management due to the fact that it encompasses many of the issues managers face on a daily basis. Concepts such as leadership, decision making, team building, motivation and job satisfaction are all facets of organizational behavior and responsibilities of management. Understanding not only how to delegate tasks and organize resources but also how to analyze behavior and motivate productivity is critical for success in management. Components of Organization Behavior Organizational behavior scientists study four primary areas of behavioral science: 1. Individual behavior: Human behavior is complex and every individual is different from another, the challenge of an effective organization is in successfully matching the task, the manager and the subordinate. Under ideal situation, a manager would first analyze the task, then determine the required skills and assemble a team that complement each other skills; thereby creating an enriching & conflict free team. In reality, a manager has to use the existing resources for a given task, and must have the ability to understand the differences in individual behaviors and use them appropriately to increase the synergy. 2. Group behavior: At the group level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of group dynamics, intra- and intergroup...
Words: 816 - Pages: 4
