Blog Assignment #3

1. According to the structural functionalism perspective, what was the definition of the "instrumental leader" and what was the definition of an "expressive leader." What family roles were connected to each of these leader definitions?
The definition of an instrumental leader is someone who leads group discussions about how to accomplish a task they have been assigned. An expressive leader is also called the socioemotional leader who is someone who kept up the groups spirit with jokes and funny remarks. The family roles connected to the instrumental leader were primarily the husband role because he provided the financial support. The stay at home wife was the expressive leader because she was the emotional support of the family.
2. What is the main criticism of the functionalist perspective? 

The main criticism of the functionalist perspective is that the breadwinner-homemaker role was not always the case in this situation. Women started to join the workforce and it became unusual therefore making this perspective not accurate. 

3. In contrast to functionalist theorists, in your own words, what is the main theme of conflict theory?

The main theme of conflict theory focuses on the differences between husband and wife. It focuses on the different powers they each have, the differences they face and the way society views them.

4. According to conflict theorists, where do family problems come from?

Family problems come from the husband thinking he has more power over his wife.

5. Gender/Feminist theory is based on what main idea? Describe one way that feminist theory has led to more diverse understanding of families.
The theory is based on understanding and transforming the inequalities on men and women. The main focus is gender. One way the feminist theory has led to more diverse understanding of families is understanding that the idea of family has always been centered around as the male being the dominant figure of the family. 

6. Social exchange theorists is based on ideas from economics. What is the main argument of social exchange perspective? Give two examples of "resources" people bring to a relationship?

These theorists focus on what is efficient and valuable in a relationship. One example of a resource is money. Another resource in a relationship would be friendship with your partner.

7a) From the lecture on methods: List two methods of how family researchers collect data and define/describe each.

1. Demographic studies which is how social conditions are distributed in the human population and how these populations are changing. It is collected by the National Center of Health Statistics. 

2. Survey research is when you collect information from a subgroup of people which is known as a sample. 

7b) What are two strengths of each and what are two limits of each type of data collection methods. 

One strength of a demographic study is that researches follow rates and how they have grown or gotten smaller. Another strength of a demographic study is that it is measured in rate rather than raw numbers making it easier to understand the percentage rather than large numbers. A disadvantage to demographic studies are that someone could lie in a study an alter the results. Another disadvantage would be that populations are constantly changing so numbers are never accurate. 

One advantage of survey research is that you hand out a survey and the participants have the responsibility to fill it out. This makes it easier on the researcher because all of the results get handed back to you and you don't need to conduct several interviews. Another advantage is that they can administered almost anyway. For example they can be done over the phone, online, in person, etc. A disadvantage of survey research is that the participants may not respond honestly. Another disadvantage is that answers on survey may not be clear enough making the answers in accurate from what the participant was actually thinking.

8) Choose one method and describe a study you might conduct.

One method I would choose would be participant observation and I would study the behavior of children based on their home life. 

8a) What is the topic of the survey? In other words, what do you want to know about a family issue?

The topic would be to observe children based off of knowing the knowledge of their home life. I would want to compare children's behavior based off of if there parents are together, divorced or living in different situations.

8b) Who and how many respondents would be in your sample?

I was envisioning my daycare I work at with this experiment and I would probably focus in on the four year olds. I would probably observe 15 children at different times.

8c) What are three questions you would ask in a survey or interview or what would be three observations you might record?

I would observe how the children interacted with other children. I would also observe how the child asked for attention. I would lastly observe how the child interacts with other adult figures in the room.