Innovations in Social Science Methodologies: An Overview

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-18
Author(s):  
Daniel Druckman ◽  
William Donohue
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
New World ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Data Collections

In this article, we discuss the historical development of various methodological approaches used by social scientists. The well-known divide between the positivist and constructivist traditions is alive and well in the variety of recent methodologies including those discussed in these issues. More recent developments include nonlinear approaches intended to deal with the complexity of the world as it presents itself. The advent of new technologies has expanded the reach of quantitative methods while also increasing the efficiency of data collections and analyses performed by qualitative researchers. Another trend is toward making research findings more relevant to the communities being researched. Innovation is the key theme of each article that is summarized in this essay. The developments captured by the authors presage a brave new world of continuing innovation in social science methodologies.

scholarly journals Ancient Greek History and Contemporary Social Science

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
State Government ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Theories ◽  
Greek History ◽  
The Relationship

Social scientists and political theorists have recently come to realize the potential importance of the classical Greek world and its legacy for testing social theories. Meanwhile, some Hellenists have mastered the techniques of contemporary social science. They have come to recognize the value of formal and quantitative methods as a complement to traditional qualitative approaches to Greek history and culture. Some of the most exciting new work in social science is now being done within interdisciplinary domains for which recent work on Greece provides apt case studies. This book features essays examining the role played by democratic political and legal institutions in economic development; the potential for inter-state cooperation and international institutions within a decentralized ecology of states; the relationship between state government and the social networks arising from voluntary associations; the interplay between political culture, informal politics, formal institutions and political change; and the relationship between empirical and formal methods of analysis and normative political theory. In sum, this book introduces readers to the emerging field of “social science ancient history.”

Robots, Replicants, and Surrogates

2021 ◽  
pp. 84-111
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Machine Learning ◽  
Science Fiction ◽  
Intelligent Systems ◽  
New World ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
And Robotics

The human brain is an extraordinary machine. Its ability to process information and adapt to circumstances by reprogramming itself is unparalleled, and it remains the best source of inspiration for recent developments in artificial intelligence. This has given rise to machine learning, intelligent systems, and robotics. Robots and AI might right now still seem the reserve of blockbuster science fiction movies and documentaries, but it's no doubt the world is changing. This chapter explores the origins, attitudes, and perceptions of robotics and the multiple types of robots that exist today. Perhaps most importantly, it focuses on ethical and societal concerns over the question: Are we heading for a brave new world or a science fiction horror-show where AI and robots displace or, perhaps more worryingly, replace humans?

scholarly journals Don't Forget To Properly Use Your Signal: Driving Down New Roads to Selection Decisions

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 666-671
Author(s):  
Ryan G. Horn ◽  
Samuel E. Kaminsky ◽  
Tara S. Behrend
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
New World ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Selection Decisions ◽  
False Dichotomy ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
Selection And Assessment

Chamorro-Premuzic, Winsborough, Sherman, and Hogan (2016) note that new talent signals recently adopted by organizations are related to older selection and assessment methods. Drawing this connection between old and new technologies is helpful; however, viewing new technology as either shiny new objects or a brave new world creates a false dichotomy. Recent technology-enhanced human resources (HR) processes like the widespread use of gamified practices and video-recorded interviewing are not just fads or the beginning of a transformation in HR but rather natural evolutions of methods that differ across specific dimensions that can be identified and measured. It is important to view these recent advances as extensions of the existing methods. That is, we need to focus onhowthese new methods are different and not onthatthey are different.

Setting the Record “Straight”: Communicating Findings from Social Science Research on Sexual Orientation to the Courts

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory M. Herek
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Expert Witness ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Sexual Stigma ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Research Findings

This chapter describes some of the ways in which social science knowledge about sexual orientation and sexual stigma has been applied to social justice issues through federal and state courts. The chapter draws examples from the author’s experiences as an expert witness in cases such as Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the landmark 2010 federal case that ultimately overturned Proposition 8, California’s voter-enacted constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples. The chapter also provides some general background information on what being an expert witness in cases such as Perry entails. Suggestions are offered for social scientists who wish to communicate empirical research findings to the courts, legislators, and policymakers.

scholarly journals Genetics, Bioethics and Space Travel: GATTACA

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Clare Sansom
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Space Travel ◽  
World War ◽  
The Future ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
Genetics And Genomics ◽  
Second World

It has been said that all stories set in the future say more about the concerns of the time in which they are written than they do about future possibilities. Long before the genome era, writers were investigating the possibility of changing the biological make-up of humans. Questions about human biology, identity and eugenics (from the Greek ‘well-born’) have been raised by writers ever since Plato; classic novels addressing these issues include H.G. Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896) and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1931). Eugenics in fiction passed out of fashion after the Second World War, but recent developments in genetics and genomics have brought these ideas into the foreground again.

Popularization and Consilience

2021 ◽  
pp. 212-232
Author(s):  
Matt Grossmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Popular Media ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
The Public ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Opening Up ◽  
Public Concerns

Social science makes its way into public debate, raising concerns about publicity-seeking scholarship but also opening up potential benefits for engagement across disciplines and society. Social science debates are no longer, if they ever were, confined to universities and obscure journals; they are now central parts of popular media and political debate. Associated scholarly motivations for public influence drive research, then popular discussion of research findings feeds back into scholarship. The increasing role of media attention, popular nonfiction, and think tanks changes the incentives and the practices of social scientists. Popularized scholarship not only (mis)informs the public and policymakers, but also shapes interdisciplinary debates. This enables integration by concentrating diverse minds on public concerns. Sociobiology shows that scholars with very different views of human nature have put forward popular accounts, responded to one another, and created an ongoing space for advancing knowledge.

scholarly journals Communication, Partnerships, and the Role of Social Science: Conservation Delivery in a Brave New World

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 914-926
Author(s):  
Aritree Samanta ◽  
Francis R. Eanes ◽  
Benjamin Wickerham ◽  
Mary Fales ◽  
Brian R. Bulla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
New World ◽  
Brave New World

Biosensors to monitor MS activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 605-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer S Graves ◽  
Xavier Montalban
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
New World ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Sensor Applications ◽  
Brave New World ◽  
The 19Th Century

Advances in wearable and wireless biosensing technology pave the way for a brave new world of novel multiple sclerosis (MS) outcome measures. Our current tools for examining patients date back to the 19th century and while invaluable to the neurologist invite accompaniment from these new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) analytical methods. While the most common biosensor tool used in MS publications to date is the accelerometer, the landscape is changing quickly with multi-sensor applications, electrodermal sensors, and wireless radiofrequency waves. Some caution is warranted to ensure novel outcomes have clear clinical relevance and stand-up to the rigors of reliability, reproducibility, and precision, but the ultimate implementation of biosensing in the MS clinical setting is inevitable.

How social science can contribute to public policy

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry Stoker ◽  
Peter Taylor-Gooby
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Career Stages ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Policy Objectives

This chapter returns to the question of how social scientists can contribute to public policy. First, it is desirable to open up the range of approaches and orientations available to policy-making by ensuring that those involved are recruited from a wide range of communities, by analysing how policy objectives are selected and defined, and by promoting greater interplay at different career stages between government and academic life. Second, social science must develop, alongside the academic research that is at its heart, a ‘design arm’ directed at practical issues and concerned with the application of research findings in improving policy outcomes.

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