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At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The ethics of social science research.

Ethical thinking about social science research is dominated by a biomedical model whose salient features are the assumption that only potential harms to subjects of research are relevant in the ethical evaluation of that research, and in the emphasis on securing informed consent in order to establish ethical proxy. A number of counter-examples are considered to the assumption, a number of defences against these counter-examples are examined, and an alternative model is proposed for the ethical evaluation of social science research: a model which can cope with the systemic harms (harms other than those to participants as participants) which have been identified. This model is based on John Rawls's idea of original position reasoning and treats social science research as an institutional feature of the basic structure of society.

Behavioral Research↗
PubMed1981

Is medicine a social science?

The question, "Is medicine as social science?" can be understood in three different ways. One interpretation suggests that medicine is merely a social science, which is obviously false. Another interpretation is that medicine might be part a social science. The third interpretation of the question is, "Is the social scientific dimension of medicine very important:" Three claims are considered about the social scientific dimension of medicine. Although these claims are shown to be untrue, they nevertheless call attention to neglected aspects of medicine.

Philosophy, Medical↗
PubMed1981

Family medicine as a social science.

The branch of clinical medicine most likely to qualify as a social science is family medicine. Whether family medicine is a social science is addressed in four steps. First, the nature of family medicine is outlined. Second, the extent to which social science knowledge is used in family practice is discussed. Third, the extent to which family medicine can qualify as a social science is considered with respect to an orthodox model of the social science, that is, one that emphasizes affinities between the natural and social sciences. Finally, the same question is addressed with respect to an unorthodox model of the social sciences, that is, one that stresses the evaluative nature of the social sciences.

Behavior↗
PubMed1980

Social science in medicine: the question of 'relevance'.

Social science differs from the other basic medical sciences in that its perspective for understanding illness is not centered on processes within the individual. For this reason the relevance of social science knowledge to clinical practice is not obvious to many medical educators and students. Initial efforts at the University of North Carolina to develop a social science curriculum that is obviously relevant are described. Strategies include the use of small-group seminars taught by social-scientist/clinician teams and an organizing framework which links social science knowledge to clinical practice. Response to the curriculum from faculty and students has been encouraging.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1999

Do the social sciences create phenomena?: the example of public opinion research.

This paper is an investigation into the philosophy and the history of the social sciences. Some philosophers of the social sciences have suggested that a key feature of the natural sciences is their capacity to create phenomena, and that the social sciences do not meet this criterion. We suggest, to the contrary, that the social sciences can and do create phenomena, in the sense of new ways of describing and acting that have been used to produce all sorts of effects. Like the natural sciences, the social sciences create their phenomena through the procedures that are established to discover them. But the creation of phenomena is a complex, technically difficult and contested process and its success rare. Historically, this argument is developed through a case-study of the development and evolution of public opinion research in the USA and Britain. We argue that by the 1950s public opinion produced a version of the world that had entered 'into the true'. Special attention is given to technical considerations in the development of public opinion research, especially the genealogy of a particular research technology, that of the representative sample. Whilst we are not concerned with demarcation criteria, we argue that there are some important differences between the social and the natural sciences; that the former have a less concentrated 'spatial mix' and a slower 'tempo of creativity'. None the less, in this particular case, the social sciences have played a key role in the creation of opinioned persons and an opinionated society.

Behavioral Research↗
PubMed2005

Behavioral and social sciences theories and models: are they used in unintentional injury prevention research?

Behavioral and social sciences theories and models have the potential to enhance efforts to reduce unintentional injuries. The authors reviewed the published literature on behavioral and social science theory applications to unintentional injury problems to enumerate and categorize the ways different theories and models are used in injury prevention research. The authors conducted a systematic review to evaluate the published literature from 1980 to 2001 on behavioral and social science theory applications to unintentional injury prevention and control. Electronic database searches in PubMed and PsycINFO identified articles that combined behavioral and social sciences theories and models and injury causes. The authors identified some articles that examined behavioral and social science theories and models and unintentional injury topics, but found that several important theories have never been applied to unintentional injury prevention. Among the articles identified, the PRECEDE PROCEED Model was cited most frequently, followed by the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior and Health Belief Model. When behavioral and social sciences theories and models were applied to unintentional injury topics, they were most frequently used to guide program design, implementation or develop evaluation measures; few examples of theory testing were found. Results suggest that the use of behavioral and social sciences theories and models in unintentional injury prevention research is only marginally represented in the mainstream, peer-reviewed literature. Both the fields of injury prevention and behavioral and social sciences could benefit from greater collaborative research to enhance behavioral approaches to injury control.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed2003

Towards disability ethics: a social science perspective.

In the social sciences, debates about the discursive and material constitution of subjectivity and identity no longer appear to be at loggerheads. This has important implications for how we are to construct a framework for thinking about disability ethics. Following recent inroads in disability theory and in the sociology of ethics, we would argue that one of the aims of a disability ethics is not to view disability exclusively as a question of impairment, but to reclaim the social aspects of impairment in conjunction with the embodied aspects of disability. We would also suggest that the social and cultural construction of impairment, or abnormal corporeality, cannot be considered apart from the moral and existential relations that exist between disabled and non-disabled persons. The question we want to raise in this discussion is whether thinking disability ethics through a bioethics framework is adequate to this task.

Bioethics↗
PubMed2000

Understanding life-style and food use: contributions from the social sciences.

The contribution of social sciences to the study of life-style and food use in Britain is illustrated by drawing on recent evidence of purchasing patterns, reports of the organisation of meals, snacks, eating out and images of the origins of food. Work discussed underlines a considerable degree of empirical complexity, demonstrates that the supply side as well as demand should be taken into account, and illustrates the manner in which even supposedly highly voluntaristic spheres of consumption activity may none the less be circumscribed. The article is prefaced by briefly contrasting the approach to 'life-style' adopted by market researchers, public health professionals and social theorists. It concludes with the proposal that in order to understand the complexity surrounding human food use, we may be advised to consider ensuring that the descriptive and conceptual tools being used can capture that complexity.

Feeding Behavior↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The contribution of social science research to population policy and family planning program effectiveness.

Social science research has made important contributions to population policy and to the effectiveness of family planning programs. Social science concepts, theories, and methods potentially are relevant to all aspects of reproductive behavior, including actual fertility, proximate variables, and desired family size. Social science research also contributes to the understanding of the social, economic, and political institutions that potentially affect, either directly or indirectly, the whole biosocial reproductive system and family planning programs. At least as important as its specific theories and findings is the role of social science in testing how to adapt such knowledge to distinctive national and local cultural circumstances of family planning programs. A central point is that carefully monitored pilot projects are desirable before launching full-scale national programs, as well as being continuing resources for program development. The research on early programs in Asia has been important, because those programs encountered and overcame some of the presumed obstacles to new programs.

Asia↗