characteristics of science
Sociology is a Science in its own right, a distinct and autonomous science of a social phenomenon. It is a fact or occurrence that appears or is perceived; subject to natural and statics laws. In other words, it is the study of behavioural things. This science is a unique human enterprise that investigates and articulates facts, data and ‘truths’ of the natural world.
This inimitable science is based on common sense and scientific knowledge. Common sense is a belief whilst scientific knowledge is an accumulated study and organized by general principles. It is based and proven by laws and theories as follows.
Namely, validity is an extent to which information or data is a truthful representation of a phenomenon. There can be external or internal validity. Internal measures whether or not the results set out to tell exactly what you want to do whilst external results of this study can be applied outside ‘truthfulness’. For example, the role of an investigator. How objective was the investigator? Did he or she influence the interviewee proving biasness?
The second characteristic is objectivity. This is when a person is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions when considering and representing the facts. They must give unbiased remarks to the statement given.
Reliability is a measure of consistency. It is the extents to which the same results are obtain from repetition of the same research. For example, if the temperature in a room stays the same, a reliable thermometer will always give the same reading. A thermometer that lacks reliability would change even when the temperature does not. Note, however, that the thermometer does not have to be accurate in order to be reliable. It might always register two degrees too high, for example. Its degree of reliability has to do instead with the predictability of its relationship with whatever is being tested.
Empirical is something that must be testable, measurable, questionable, quantifiable and verifiable
This inimitable science is based on common sense and scientific knowledge. Common sense is a belief whilst scientific knowledge is an accumulated study and organized by general principles. It is based and proven by laws and theories as follows.
Namely, validity is an extent to which information or data is a truthful representation of a phenomenon. There can be external or internal validity. Internal measures whether or not the results set out to tell exactly what you want to do whilst external results of this study can be applied outside ‘truthfulness’. For example, the role of an investigator. How objective was the investigator? Did he or she influence the interviewee proving biasness?
The second characteristic is objectivity. This is when a person is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions when considering and representing the facts. They must give unbiased remarks to the statement given.
Reliability is a measure of consistency. It is the extents to which the same results are obtain from repetition of the same research. For example, if the temperature in a room stays the same, a reliable thermometer will always give the same reading. A thermometer that lacks reliability would change even when the temperature does not. Note, however, that the thermometer does not have to be accurate in order to be reliable. It might always register two degrees too high, for example. Its degree of reliability has to do instead with the predictability of its relationship with whatever is being tested.
Empirical is something that must be testable, measurable, questionable, quantifiable and verifiable