Descriptions, Typologies, and Mechanisms
Read selection 1, "Dissecting the Social," in Hechter and Horne and answer the following "leading questions."
- Explain to the proverbial taxi-driver the difference between a description and an explanation. As an example offer a description and an explanation of the challenge of finding a cab in downtown Oakland (you can make up the empirical data).
- How does a typology differ from a taxonomy?
- Follow through development of explanation by
- Sketching 2x2 table that captures the observation
- Elaborate the table with a third variable that "explains" the difference.
- Propose an mechanism explanation that goes from macro to micro to macro.
Cases:
- Drop in applications to law schools.
- Bike/car accidents different rates across cities/counties. (data)
- More women than men in college these days.
- Suppose one sees more men than women in the exit row seats of airplanes with open seating.
- Empty seats in cinema always toward the front. Same in lecture halls.
- One sees more capris pants and sandles in LA than in Oakland.
- Boys and girls throw balls differently.
- Teen pregnancy higher in group A than group B.
Provide a statistical explanation and a mechanistic explanation for each of the following