Marian Stamp Dawkins
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780198569350
- eISBN:
- 9780191717512
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569350.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
This book introduces the power of observation prior to, and sometimes instead of, experimental manipulation in the study of animal behaviour. It starts with simple methods suitable for student ...
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This book introduces the power of observation prior to, and sometimes instead of, experimental manipulation in the study of animal behaviour. It starts with simple methods suitable for student projects, before going on to demonstrate the possibilities that now exist for far more sophisticated analyses of observational data. At a time when animal welfare considerations are attracting political as well as scientific debate, the potential for non-intrusive studies on animals is being increasingly recognized. Observation emerges as a valuable alternative approach, often yielding highly informative results in situations (such as in zoos, on farms, or for wild animals) where more invasive experimental techniques would be undesirable, unethical, or just plain impossible. However, to justify its place alongside experimentation as a rigorous scientific method, observation needs to be just as disciplined and systematic, and have just as much attention paid to project design in the way that observations are made and recorded. The book travels through all these stages, from the initial observations, to the formulation of hypotheses, and their subsequent testing with further systematic observations.Less
This book introduces the power of observation prior to, and sometimes instead of, experimental manipulation in the study of animal behaviour. It starts with simple methods suitable for student projects, before going on to demonstrate the possibilities that now exist for far more sophisticated analyses of observational data. At a time when animal welfare considerations are attracting political as well as scientific debate, the potential for non-intrusive studies on animals is being increasingly recognized. Observation emerges as a valuable alternative approach, often yielding highly informative results in situations (such as in zoos, on farms, or for wild animals) where more invasive experimental techniques would be undesirable, unethical, or just plain impossible. However, to justify its place alongside experimentation as a rigorous scientific method, observation needs to be just as disciplined and systematic, and have just as much attention paid to project design in the way that observations are made and recorded. The book travels through all these stages, from the initial observations, to the formulation of hypotheses, and their subsequent testing with further systematic observations.
Jorge Delva, Paula Allen-Meares, and Sandra L. Momper
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195382501
- eISBN:
- 9780199777419
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195382501.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
The purpose of the book is to provide researchers with a framework to conduct research in a culturally sensitive manner with individuals, families, and communities in diverse cultural settings in the ...
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The purpose of the book is to provide researchers with a framework to conduct research in a culturally sensitive manner with individuals, families, and communities in diverse cultural settings in the United States, as well as in a global context within the context of three aims: (1) To understand and describe the nature and extent to which a particular problem occurs; (2) To understand the etiology or potential factors associated with the occurrence of a particular problem; (3) To evaluate programs or interventions designed to ameliorate or eliminate a problem. For each of these three aims, applications of different research methods with various population groups are discussed with considerable detail. The work presented falls into different sides of the emic–etic continuum, with some studies taking a more emic perspective (i.e., Chapter 2, a mixed methods study with American Indian populations), others presenting more of an etic approach (i.e., Chapter 3, a multicountry study of drug use in Central America), and yet others presenting an emic–etic distinction that is less salient (i.e., Chapters 4–6, a longitudinal studies of ecological factors and drug use in Santiago, Chile; a longitudinal study of ecological factors and PTSD in the City of Detroit; and a randomized clinical trial and community-based participatory research project both also conducted in Detroit). Two central themes that guided this work are that culture is not static, rather it is fluid and changing, and that cross-cultural researchers should avoid making sweeping generalizations that risk taking on essentialist characteristics. The book concludes with a call for anyone conducting cross-cultural research to include an intersectionality lens, one that encompasses a broader range of multiple identities, into their work.Less
The purpose of the book is to provide researchers with a framework to conduct research in a culturally sensitive manner with individuals, families, and communities in diverse cultural settings in the United States, as well as in a global context within the context of three aims: (1) To understand and describe the nature and extent to which a particular problem occurs; (2) To understand the etiology or potential factors associated with the occurrence of a particular problem; (3) To evaluate programs or interventions designed to ameliorate or eliminate a problem. For each of these three aims, applications of different research methods with various population groups are discussed with considerable detail. The work presented falls into different sides of the emic–etic continuum, with some studies taking a more emic perspective (i.e., Chapter 2, a mixed methods study with American Indian populations), others presenting more of an etic approach (i.e., Chapter 3, a multicountry study of drug use in Central America), and yet others presenting an emic–etic distinction that is less salient (i.e., Chapters 4–6, a longitudinal studies of ecological factors and drug use in Santiago, Chile; a longitudinal study of ecological factors and PTSD in the City of Detroit; and a randomized clinical trial and community-based participatory research project both also conducted in Detroit). Two central themes that guided this work are that culture is not static, rather it is fluid and changing, and that cross-cultural researchers should avoid making sweeping generalizations that risk taking on essentialist characteristics. The book concludes with a call for anyone conducting cross-cultural research to include an intersectionality lens, one that encompasses a broader range of multiple identities, into their work.
T. N. Thiele
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198509721
- eISBN:
- 9780191709197
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198509721.003.0006
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Probability / Statistics
This chapter presents a reprint of part of Hald (2000a), which was read before the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, where Thiele concludes the mathematical theory of his halfinvariants. ...
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This chapter presents a reprint of part of Hald (2000a), which was read before the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, where Thiele concludes the mathematical theory of his halfinvariants. The paper also concludes a selection of translations of Thiele's original work.Less
This chapter presents a reprint of part of Hald (2000a), which was read before the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, where Thiele concludes the mathematical theory of his halfinvariants. The paper also concludes a selection of translations of Thiele's original work.
Simon Blackburn
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199548057
- eISBN:
- 9780191594953
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199548057.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This book is a collection of sixteen chapters written over the last twenty years. They include chapters on quasi-realism and practical reasoning, but range over many other topics, including trust, ...
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This book is a collection of sixteen chapters written over the last twenty years. They include chapters on quasi-realism and practical reasoning, but range over many other topics, including trust, dilemmas, fiction, semantics, pragmatism, observation, and the nature of reason. This is the first book linking well-known expressivist work on practical reason to the wider concerns of contemporary pragmatism.Less
This book is a collection of sixteen chapters written over the last twenty years. They include chapters on quasi-realism and practical reasoning, but range over many other topics, including trust, dilemmas, fiction, semantics, pragmatism, observation, and the nature of reason. This is the first book linking well-known expressivist work on practical reason to the wider concerns of contemporary pragmatism.
Cindy Dell Clark
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195376593
- eISBN:
- 9780199865437
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195376593.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical Child Psychology / School Psychology
This book provides qualitative researchers with a guide to inquiry that learns from, with and about children. From fieldwork done during participant observation, to focus groups and depth ...
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This book provides qualitative researchers with a guide to inquiry that learns from, with and about children. From fieldwork done during participant observation, to focus groups and depth interviews, to the use of artwork, photography, play and metaphors, viable methods to foreground children’s views are featured. The tools for child-centered research and its interpretation are drawn from both academic and applied qualitative inquiry, providing broad instruction across a range of kid-attuned approaches. The book takes stock of a blossoming world-wide child-centered research movement, and its promise of better grasping children’s lives. Child-focused inquiry, the book insists, has relevance to both academic theory and practical application, including public policy.Less
This book provides qualitative researchers with a guide to inquiry that learns from, with and about children. From fieldwork done during participant observation, to focus groups and depth interviews, to the use of artwork, photography, play and metaphors, viable methods to foreground children’s views are featured. The tools for child-centered research and its interpretation are drawn from both academic and applied qualitative inquiry, providing broad instruction across a range of kid-attuned approaches. The book takes stock of a blossoming world-wide child-centered research movement, and its promise of better grasping children’s lives. Child-focused inquiry, the book insists, has relevance to both academic theory and practical application, including public policy.
James Hinton
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199574667
- eISBN:
- 9780191702167
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574667.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History, Social History
This book provides a fascinating re-evaluation of the social history of the Second World War and the 20th century making of the modern self. Using the wartime diaries of nine individuals, the book ...
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This book provides a fascinating re-evaluation of the social history of the Second World War and the 20th century making of the modern self. Using the wartime diaries of nine individuals, the book illuminates the impact of war on attitudes to citizenship, the changing relationships between men and women, and the search for meaning in a wartime context of limitless violence. The diaries from which this book is derived were written by some of the unusually self-reflective and public-spirited people who agreed to write intimate journals about their daily activity for the social research organisation, Mass Observation. Each in their way is vivid, interesting and surprising. One of the nine diarists discussed is Nella Last, whose published diaries have been a source of delight and fascination for thousands of readers. A central insight underpins the book: in seeking to make the best of our own lives, each of us makes selective use of the resources of our shared culture in a unique way; in so doing, we contribute, however modestly, to molecular processes of historical change. The book resists nostalgic contrasts between the presumed dutiful citizenship of wartime Britain and contemporary anti-social individualism, pointing instead to longer-run processes of change, rooted as much in struggles for personal autonomy in the private sphere, as in the politics of active citizenship in public life.Less
This book provides a fascinating re-evaluation of the social history of the Second World War and the 20th century making of the modern self. Using the wartime diaries of nine individuals, the book illuminates the impact of war on attitudes to citizenship, the changing relationships between men and women, and the search for meaning in a wartime context of limitless violence. The diaries from which this book is derived were written by some of the unusually self-reflective and public-spirited people who agreed to write intimate journals about their daily activity for the social research organisation, Mass Observation. Each in their way is vivid, interesting and surprising. One of the nine diarists discussed is Nella Last, whose published diaries have been a source of delight and fascination for thousands of readers. A central insight underpins the book: in seeking to make the best of our own lives, each of us makes selective use of the resources of our shared culture in a unique way; in so doing, we contribute, however modestly, to molecular processes of historical change. The book resists nostalgic contrasts between the presumed dutiful citizenship of wartime Britain and contemporary anti-social individualism, pointing instead to longer-run processes of change, rooted as much in struggles for personal autonomy in the private sphere, as in the politics of active citizenship in public life.
Roger M. Barker
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576814
- eISBN:
- 9780191722509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576814.003.0007
- Subject:
- Business and Management, International Business, Corporate Governance and Accountability
A variety of statistical robustness tests confirm that the conclusions of Chapter 6 are not sensitive to the inclusion of particular countries or observations in the data set, or the choice of ...
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A variety of statistical robustness tests confirm that the conclusions of Chapter 6 are not sensitive to the inclusion of particular countries or observations in the data set, or the choice of individual control variables. The reestimation of the model in terms of first‐differences (i.e., a dynamic model specification) also gives rise to consistent results.Less
A variety of statistical robustness tests confirm that the conclusions of Chapter 6 are not sensitive to the inclusion of particular countries or observations in the data set, or the choice of individual control variables. The reestimation of the model in terms of first‐differences (i.e., a dynamic model specification) also gives rise to consistent results.
David Papineau
- Published in print:
- 1979
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198245858
- eISBN:
- 9780191680908
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198245858.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This book is concerned with those aspects of the theory of meaning for scientific terms that are relevant to questions about the evaluation of scientific theories. The contemporary debate about ...
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This book is concerned with those aspects of the theory of meaning for scientific terms that are relevant to questions about the evaluation of scientific theories. The contemporary debate about theory choice in science is normally presented as a conflict between two sets of ideas. On the one hand are notions of objectivity, realism, rationality, and progress in science. On the other is the view that meanings depend on theory, with associated claims about the theory dependence of observation, the theoretical context account of meaning, incommensurability, and so on. The book shows that there is no real contest here; that the two sets of ideas are in fact quite compatible. More specifically, it argues that the meanings of all scientific terms, including those used to report observations, are inseparable from the total context of surrounding theory and so will inevitably vary with theoretical change, but that this is quite consistent with a broadly objectivist account of science. The first half of the book shows how ideas about the theory dependence of observation and meaning have led to the breakdown of the traditional empiricist account of science, and how some of the more obvious responses to these ideas are inadequate. The second half shows how these ideas can satisfactorily be accommodated within a non-relativist account of science.Less
This book is concerned with those aspects of the theory of meaning for scientific terms that are relevant to questions about the evaluation of scientific theories. The contemporary debate about theory choice in science is normally presented as a conflict between two sets of ideas. On the one hand are notions of objectivity, realism, rationality, and progress in science. On the other is the view that meanings depend on theory, with associated claims about the theory dependence of observation, the theoretical context account of meaning, incommensurability, and so on. The book shows that there is no real contest here; that the two sets of ideas are in fact quite compatible. More specifically, it argues that the meanings of all scientific terms, including those used to report observations, are inseparable from the total context of surrounding theory and so will inevitably vary with theoretical change, but that this is quite consistent with a broadly objectivist account of science. The first half of the book shows how ideas about the theory dependence of observation and meaning have led to the breakdown of the traditional empiricist account of science, and how some of the more obvious responses to these ideas are inadequate. The second half shows how these ideas can satisfactorily be accommodated within a non-relativist account of science.
A. H. Halsey
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199266609
- eISBN:
- 9780191601019
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266603.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century ...
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There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century French beginning of literary claim to possession. The struggle never ceased and is now centred on battles over cultural studies as opposed to scientific method. Is schism or reconciliation the solution? Ideally, there is toleration but not necessarily institutional integration.Less
There was always a struggle between science and literature for ownership of the intellectual territory of social criticism and social reform. Balzac's La comedie humaine was the nineteenth century French beginning of literary claim to possession. The struggle never ceased and is now centred on battles over cultural studies as opposed to scientific method. Is schism or reconciliation the solution? Ideally, there is toleration but not necessarily institutional integration.
Jeffrey G. Snodgrass
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195304343
- eISBN:
- 9780199785063
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195304349.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter further describes the context of the author’s participant-observation fieldwork situation in the towns of Udaipur and Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It also presents the ...
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This chapter further describes the context of the author’s participant-observation fieldwork situation in the towns of Udaipur and Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It also presents the scholarly understandings of South Asian society that ground the book’s arguments. It is demonstrated how changes in caste relations in the modern colonial and postcolonial periods, and especially the decline in importance of elite bardic communities, provided the author’s Bhat informants with opportunities to remake their caste identity in the particular manner explored in the pages of this book. This chapter takes pains to demonstrate continuities of experience between the formerly untouchable Bhats and other low status Dalit (“oppressed”) communities. The remainder of the book, however, points to the distinctive manner than Bhats, as low status bards participating in a declining village exchange economy referred to as jajmani, take advantage of changing historical contexts to rework themselves and the institution of caste in ways unique to this community of performers.Less
This chapter further describes the context of the author’s participant-observation fieldwork situation in the towns of Udaipur and Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It also presents the scholarly understandings of South Asian society that ground the book’s arguments. It is demonstrated how changes in caste relations in the modern colonial and postcolonial periods, and especially the decline in importance of elite bardic communities, provided the author’s Bhat informants with opportunities to remake their caste identity in the particular manner explored in the pages of this book. This chapter takes pains to demonstrate continuities of experience between the formerly untouchable Bhats and other low status Dalit (“oppressed”) communities. The remainder of the book, however, points to the distinctive manner than Bhats, as low status bards participating in a declining village exchange economy referred to as jajmani, take advantage of changing historical contexts to rework themselves and the institution of caste in ways unique to this community of performers.
J. M. Hinton
- Published in print:
- 1973
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198244035
- eISBN:
- 9780191680717
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198244035.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter discusses the special, philosophical notion of an experience. It was referred to as involving a form of the following general idea: that a visual experience is ‘inner’ independently of ...
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This chapter discusses the special, philosophical notion of an experience. It was referred to as involving a form of the following general idea: that a visual experience is ‘inner’ independently of the extent to which it is given meaning by the subject's experience of life. There is truth in this general idea, if only because one's individuality is not a function of experience alone. The relevant philosophical notion, however, is a form of the general idea that the experience had by each of two people would still be ‘inner’; however, many tests or observations, of a kind which might have revealed a difference in the giving of meaning, failed to do so; and not at all because the next test or observation might have revealed such a difference.Less
This chapter discusses the special, philosophical notion of an experience. It was referred to as involving a form of the following general idea: that a visual experience is ‘inner’ independently of the extent to which it is given meaning by the subject's experience of life. There is truth in this general idea, if only because one's individuality is not a function of experience alone. The relevant philosophical notion, however, is a form of the general idea that the experience had by each of two people would still be ‘inner’; however, many tests or observations, of a kind which might have revealed a difference in the giving of meaning, failed to do so; and not at all because the next test or observation might have revealed such a difference.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter discusses the role of inconsistency in the empirical sciences. It distinguishes the various ways in which contradictions may occur in the corpus of science, and argues that while a ...
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This chapter discusses the role of inconsistency in the empirical sciences. It distinguishes the various ways in which contradictions may occur in the corpus of science, and argues that while a contradiction may make revision desirable in some contexts, this may not be the case in others. The possibility of producing scientific theories based on a paraconsistent logic may well increase the power of scientific theorizing.Less
This chapter discusses the role of inconsistency in the empirical sciences. It distinguishes the various ways in which contradictions may occur in the corpus of science, and argues that while a contradiction may make revision desirable in some contexts, this may not be the case in others. The possibility of producing scientific theories based on a paraconsistent logic may well increase the power of scientific theorizing.
Emma Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195323351
- eISBN:
- 9780199785575
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195323351.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Chapter 7 addresses the social cognition of possession activities. Some researchers have noted that possession observation is often characterised by ambiguity, contradiction, and inconsistency. This ...
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Chapter 7 addresses the social cognition of possession activities. Some researchers have noted that possession observation is often characterised by ambiguity, contradiction, and inconsistency. This is the first attempt to explain why using established and recent hypotheses and data from social psychology (on social perception processes and biases) and neuroscience together with observations and interview data from the field.Less
Chapter 7 addresses the social cognition of possession activities. Some researchers have noted that possession observation is often characterised by ambiguity, contradiction, and inconsistency. This is the first attempt to explain why using established and recent hypotheses and data from social psychology (on social perception processes and biases) and neuroscience together with observations and interview data from the field.
Jonathan Fox
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199208852
- eISBN:
- 9780191709005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208852.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter analyzes persistent exclusionary electoral practices, using quantitative indicators of access to the secret ballot in Mexico's 1994 presidential election in rural areas. While the ...
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This chapter analyzes persistent exclusionary electoral practices, using quantitative indicators of access to the secret ballot in Mexico's 1994 presidential election in rural areas. While the opposition expected a re-run of the repertoire of fraud and manipulation that characterized the 1988 race, instead the state effectively deployed a range of levers of intervention in rural economic and social life that, in combination with the systematic lack of access to the secret ballot, reduced the ruling party's need to resort to fraud by inducing a widespread ‘fear vote’. This study draws on two previously unstudied data sets to estimate the degree of rural voter access to the secret ballot in the 1994 presidential elections, including a focus on opposition party oversight in indigenous municipalities in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas.Less
This chapter analyzes persistent exclusionary electoral practices, using quantitative indicators of access to the secret ballot in Mexico's 1994 presidential election in rural areas. While the opposition expected a re-run of the repertoire of fraud and manipulation that characterized the 1988 race, instead the state effectively deployed a range of levers of intervention in rural economic and social life that, in combination with the systematic lack of access to the secret ballot, reduced the ruling party's need to resort to fraud by inducing a widespread ‘fear vote’. This study draws on two previously unstudied data sets to estimate the degree of rural voter access to the secret ballot in the 1994 presidential elections, including a focus on opposition party oversight in indigenous municipalities in the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas.
Shoutir Kishore Chatterjee
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198525318
- eISBN:
- 9780191711657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525318.003.0002
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Probability / Statistics
In statistical induction, the evidence is represented by observations on characters with definite domains but uncertain potential values. In the objective approach, the observational procedure is ...
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In statistical induction, the evidence is represented by observations on characters with definite domains but uncertain potential values. In the objective approach, the observational procedure is conceptually repeatable and the uncertainty about the potential observations is expressible in terms of an objective or frequency probability model, which generally involves some unknown parameters representing our inductive concern. Idea about the trustworthiness of the conclusion is given in terms of objective or subjective probability, depending on the nature of the parameters assumed. In the subjective approach, the observations may be non-repeatable and the uncertainty about them is expressed in terms of a fully known subjective probability model; future observations constitute our inductive concern. Uncertainty about the conclusion is always expressed subjectively. Often, there is scope for designing the observational procedure in both the approaches.Less
In statistical induction, the evidence is represented by observations on characters with definite domains but uncertain potential values. In the objective approach, the observational procedure is conceptually repeatable and the uncertainty about the potential observations is expressible in terms of an objective or frequency probability model, which generally involves some unknown parameters representing our inductive concern. Idea about the trustworthiness of the conclusion is given in terms of objective or subjective probability, depending on the nature of the parameters assumed. In the subjective approach, the observations may be non-repeatable and the uncertainty about them is expressed in terms of a fully known subjective probability model; future observations constitute our inductive concern. Uncertainty about the conclusion is always expressed subjectively. Often, there is scope for designing the observational procedure in both the approaches.
David G. Bromley
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195177299
- eISBN:
- 9780199785537
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177299.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Some of the most significant knowledge about new religious movements has been generated through participant observation fieldwork. A variety of methodological issues have emerged in the process of ...
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Some of the most significant knowledge about new religious movements has been generated through participant observation fieldwork. A variety of methodological issues have emerged in the process of conducting participant observation research, including how groups are selected for study, how access to movements is negotiated, how internal and external pressures are managed during the research project, how various sources of information are utilized and assessed, and how the research process is terminated. Since most students have had no direct contact with new religions and are primarily aware of the controversies in which some movements have been involved, it is important to create perspective for students as they engage in their own intellectual encounter with new religions. This process involves successively creating receptivity and a problem solving approach, understanding the available sources of information and their utility, working with various sources of information and gaining an understanding of the interests they represent, collecting and analyzing readily available information on selected groups, and engaging in a direct encounter with one or more NRMs.Less
Some of the most significant knowledge about new religious movements has been generated through participant observation fieldwork. A variety of methodological issues have emerged in the process of conducting participant observation research, including how groups are selected for study, how access to movements is negotiated, how internal and external pressures are managed during the research project, how various sources of information are utilized and assessed, and how the research process is terminated. Since most students have had no direct contact with new religions and are primarily aware of the controversies in which some movements have been involved, it is important to create perspective for students as they engage in their own intellectual encounter with new religions. This process involves successively creating receptivity and a problem solving approach, understanding the available sources of information and their utility, working with various sources of information and gaining an understanding of the interests they represent, collecting and analyzing readily available information on selected groups, and engaging in a direct encounter with one or more NRMs.
Mary McClintock Fulkerson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199296477
- eISBN:
- 9780191711930
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296477.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter begins with a discussion of participant observation. It then describes the first encounter with Good Samaritan Church and presents a definition of practical theology. An overview of the ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of participant observation. It then describes the first encounter with Good Samaritan Church and presents a definition of practical theology. An overview of the succeeding chapters is provided.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of participant observation. It then describes the first encounter with Good Samaritan Church and presents a definition of practical theology. An overview of the succeeding chapters is provided.
Michael Banton
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198280613
- eISBN:
- 9780191598760
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198280610.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
With the election of new members in 1988 and with changes in external circumstances, CERD was able to take positive steps to improve its working methods and to agree that it would issue ‘concluding ...
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With the election of new members in 1988 and with changes in external circumstances, CERD was able to take positive steps to improve its working methods and to agree that it would issue ‘concluding observations’ expressing a collective view. It introduced procedures for reviewing the implementation of the Convention in states that had not submitted reports and for taking urgent action in emergencies. Its procedure for issuing opinions on communications (or petitions) from individuals came into effect. Figures are provided on the use of CERD's time.Less
With the election of new members in 1988 and with changes in external circumstances, CERD was able to take positive steps to improve its working methods and to agree that it would issue ‘concluding observations’ expressing a collective view. It introduced procedures for reviewing the implementation of the Convention in states that had not submitted reports and for taking urgent action in emergencies. Its procedure for issuing opinions on communications (or petitions) from individuals came into effect. Figures are provided on the use of CERD's time.
Sarah Birch
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199606160
- eISBN:
- 9780191731693
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199606160.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
Elections ought in theory to go a long way towards making democracy ‘work’, but in many contexts, they fail to embody democratic ideals because they are affected by electoral manipulation and ...
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Elections ought in theory to go a long way towards making democracy ‘work’, but in many contexts, they fail to embody democratic ideals because they are affected by electoral manipulation and misconduct. This volume undertakes an analytic and explanatory investigation of electoral malpractice, which is understood as taking three principal forms: manipulation of the rules governing elections, manipulation of vote preference formation and expression, and manipulation of the voting process. The study — which is comparative in nature — starts out by providing a conceptual definition and typology of electoral malpractice, before considering evidence for the causes of this phenomenon. The principal argument of the book is that factors affecting the costs of electoral malpractice are crucial in determining whether leaders will, in any given context, seek to rig elections. Among the most important factors of this sort are the linkages between elites and citizens, and in particular the balance between relations of the civil-society and clientelist types. These linkages play an important role in determining how much legitimacy leaders will lose by engaging in electoral manipulation, as well as the likely consequences of legitimacy loss. The study also shows how electoral malpractice might be reduced by means of a variety of strategies designed to raise the cost of electoral manipulation by increasing the ability of civil society and international actors to monitor and denounce it.Less
Elections ought in theory to go a long way towards making democracy ‘work’, but in many contexts, they fail to embody democratic ideals because they are affected by electoral manipulation and misconduct. This volume undertakes an analytic and explanatory investigation of electoral malpractice, which is understood as taking three principal forms: manipulation of the rules governing elections, manipulation of vote preference formation and expression, and manipulation of the voting process. The study — which is comparative in nature — starts out by providing a conceptual definition and typology of electoral malpractice, before considering evidence for the causes of this phenomenon. The principal argument of the book is that factors affecting the costs of electoral malpractice are crucial in determining whether leaders will, in any given context, seek to rig elections. Among the most important factors of this sort are the linkages between elites and citizens, and in particular the balance between relations of the civil-society and clientelist types. These linkages play an important role in determining how much legitimacy leaders will lose by engaging in electoral manipulation, as well as the likely consequences of legitimacy loss. The study also shows how electoral malpractice might be reduced by means of a variety of strategies designed to raise the cost of electoral manipulation by increasing the ability of civil society and international actors to monitor and denounce it.
Leon Mestel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199641741
- eISBN:
- 9780191738609
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199641741.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
Ongoing studies in mathematical depth, and inferences from ‘helioseismological’ observations of the internal solar rotation have shown up the limitations in our knowledge of the solar interior and of ...
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Ongoing studies in mathematical depth, and inferences from ‘helioseismological’ observations of the internal solar rotation have shown up the limitations in our knowledge of the solar interior and of our understanding of the solar dynamo, manifested in particular by the sunspot cycle, the Maunder minimum, and solar flares. This second edition of this book retains the overall structure as the first edition, but is designed so as to be self-contained with the early chapters presenting the basic physics and mathematics underlying cosmical magnetohydrodynamics, followed by studies of the specific applications appropriate for a book devoted to a central area in astrophysics.Less
Ongoing studies in mathematical depth, and inferences from ‘helioseismological’ observations of the internal solar rotation have shown up the limitations in our knowledge of the solar interior and of our understanding of the solar dynamo, manifested in particular by the sunspot cycle, the Maunder minimum, and solar flares. This second edition of this book retains the overall structure as the first edition, but is designed so as to be self-contained with the early chapters presenting the basic physics and mathematics underlying cosmical magnetohydrodynamics, followed by studies of the specific applications appropriate for a book devoted to a central area in astrophysics.
