Research and Scientific Method: Definition and Types
Etymology: in (Latin) = in, into; vestigium (Latin) = trace, mark, sign, or signal. Investigate = to trace or follow the vestige of something. Investigate (investigare in Latin) is an action verb meaning to make inquiries, keep track of someone or something in order to find out new knowledge (Moreno-Heméndez, 1997). Research is the search for knowledge and its validation on important issues.
Booth and Williams (2001) define research as a rigorous process that uses methods and techniques to obtain
Read MoreCultural Dynamics and Human Sociability
Interculturalism and Dialogue
- Cultural Relativism: Considers that it is impossible to compare and evaluate characteristics of different cultures. It is based on the belief that every culture has value in itself, since all the elements are understood and explained by an internal logic. This can serve as an excuse for passivity and inaction against unjust and inhumane acts.
- Universalism: Proposes a rejection of ethnocentric attitudes to avoid imposing one culture on another. It is based on real dialogue
Classical and Operant Conditioning Explained
Classical Conditioning
A basic concept for understanding classical conditioning is the reflex. A reflex signifies a single unit of innate behavior, characterized by an inevitable response to a change in environmental conditions. It involves a combination of two factors: a stimulus (S) and a response (R).
For example, consider the knee-jerk reflex: the lifting or movement of the leg, calf, and foot (R) occurs after tapping the knee with a small hammer (S). The Russian physiologist I. Pavlov (1927)
Read MoreWeber’s Bureaucracy: Rationalization, Morality, and the Aston Studies
Representational modernism consisted of sketching a singular set of empirical tendencies imagined to be irresistible and inevitable. These were the famous ‘rationalization’ of the world, the success of which would be attributed to bureaucracy as the primary mechanism of its achievement.
Its outcome was to be our imprisonment in the house of bondage – the iron cage of bureaucracy.
From Weber’s modernist vision of the world, it is, in many respects, a bleak and pessimistic vision, leavened only by
Read MoreBrain Structure, Functions, and Neurotransmitters
Brain Structure and Function
Forebrain (Prosencephalon)
Diencephalon
Functions: Directing sense impulses throughout the body, autonomic function control, endocrine function control, motor function control, homeostasis, and perception of hearing, vision, smell, taste, and touch.
Main structures: Hypothalamus, Thalamus, Epithalamus, Subthalamus.
Telencephalon (Cerebrum)
Functions: Determining intelligence and personality, thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language, interpretation of sensory
Read MoreKey Sociological Perspectives and Theorists
Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte coined the term “Sociology.” He created the classification of the three stages: Theological, Metaphysical, and Positive. He believed that sociology should contribute to the welfare of mankind.
Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim starts the history of sociology as we understand it today. He discusses issues such as Group Solidarity, Social Order, Crisis of Beliefs, and Anomie. He posited that society is more than the sum of individuals; it has its own entity.
Social Facts: These
Read More