Controversial Issues in Social Research Methods
It is often said that one of the key determinants of a book's wmth is the extent to which it fulfills the reader's expectations. As such, we welcome this oppor tunity to help formulate the expectations of our readers, to express our view of what this boo
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SSSP Jerald Greenberg Robert Folger
Controversial Issues in Social Research Metho,ds
Springer-Verlag New York Berlin Heidelberg London Paris Tokyo
Jerald Greenberg Faculty of Management and Human Resources The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210-1399 USA
Robert Folger A.B. Freeman School of Business Tulane University New Orleans, Louisiana 70118-5669 USA
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Greenberg, Jerald. Controversial issues in social research methods. (Springer series in social psychology) Bibliography: p. Includes indexes. 1. Social psychology-Research. I. Folger, Robert. II. Title. m. Series. 302'.072 87-23237 HM25 1.67517 1988
© 1988 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1988 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc. in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names. as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. Typeset by Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong. 98765 4 321 ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-8336-2 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-3756-3 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4612-3756-3
This book is dedicated to our families, especially our wives-Carolyn and Pamand to our students, who have gently taught us that the quality of the answers we attain is only as good as the questions we ask
Preface
It is often said that one of the key determinants of a book's wmth is the extent
to which it fulfills the reader's expectations. As such, we welcome this opportunity to help formulate the expectations of our readers, to express our view of what this book is and what it is not. We believe that fully appreciating this volume requires understanding its mission and how it differs from that of other books on research methodology. We have not prepared a primer on research techniques. We offer no "howto" guides for researchers-nothing on how to conduct interviews, how to design studies, or how to analyze data. We also have not prepared a partisan platform documenting "our way" of thinking about research. Very few, if any, attempts at proselytizing may be found in these pages. What we have done, we believe, is to bring together a number of recurring controversial issues about social psychological research-issues that have divided professionals, puzzled students, and filled the pages of our journals. Few scholars have missed reports arguing the sides of various methodological controversies, such as those surrounding the merits or shortcomings of field research in compa
