Sociology: methodology, methods, mathematical modeling (Sociology: 4M)

Theoretical foundations of the application of triangulation strategy in sociological research

2025-08-20T21:13:33+03:00

The purpose of this article is to examine the grounds for the use of triangulation in sociological research. The importance of the triangulation procedure is justified through the resolution of the so-called "reproducibility crisis" affecting sociology and related disciplines, in which the results of empirical research turn out to be difficult to repeat. The specifics of the social sciences (the subject-subjective nature of research, the complexity and variability of the object — individuals and groups with their norms and motives, the inevitable subjectivity) fundamentally distinguish their procedures from natural science and exacerbate the problem of reproducibility. The strategy of methodical triangulation, as the most frequently used modification of the triangulation procedure, is considered as a possible methodological solution. The article analyzes the formation of the concept of triangulation in the historical context, as well as its interaction with the strategy of mixed methods (mix-methods research). The result of the analysis is the formation of three main strategies for using triangulation – as a verification of the reliability of empirical research results, as a way to supplement data, and as a method of analyzing contradictions, substantiating them with various epistemological platforms such as realism and relativism. As part of the analysis, the application of the first strategy is justified as a possible solution to the "reproducibility crisis".

Big data analysis technology for organizational relationships detection: capabilities of the iFORA SYSTEM

2025-08-20T21:13:34+03:00

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate approaches to analyzing connections between centers of competence using the iFORA system of intellectual analysis of large text-document data, illustrated by mapping the field of "Industrial Information Management and Telecommunication Systems". The results of the study include testing the approaches and methods implemented in the iFORA system on tasks traditionally addressed within the framework of organizational network analysis. The main result of the analysis is a network graph of connections between potential centers of competence in the field of "Industrial Information Management and Telecommunication Systems", identified from scientific publications using semantic analysis tools, reflecting the connections between these centers. The graph is further given an interpretation by generating hypotheses about existing collaborations based on these connections. The article also provides suggestions for directions to utilize the research of centers of competence connections based on semantic analysis of large textual data arrays.

Subjective well-being heuristic potential of the scale for measuring population income

2025-08-20T21:13:34+03:00

This article looks at how well a scale can measure changes in finances. The new scale is based on the tradition of deprivation assessment of material wealth. It takes into account the reasons for lending, loans in the environment, and the amount of savings. The analysis showed that the new way of coordinating within the scale is good for evaluating financial changes. However, it is also interesting to see variants of the scale without questions about real estate or food, which may turn out to be more sensitive depending on the average income level of a particular population. Talking about the addition of financial change and passive change, we can see that while the first is a meaningful part of the second, it is actually quite small. This is influenced by both the cognitive absorption of respondents in determining their influence (neighborhood bias, the mean effect, etc.) and the possibility of non-monetary elements of change.

Aesthetic valorization and legitimation of a musical genre: construction of conceptualization and research methodology (on the example of noise music)

2025-08-20T21:13:35+03:00

This article presents an attempt to conceptualize and construct a methodology to investigate the process of aesthetic valorization (attribution of value) and legitimation of the genre Noise and explicate elements of aesthetic ideologies in music critics’ discourse. Noise music, characterized by the use of abrasive sounds and provocative performances, is chosen as a case of an aesthetically radical and problematic cultural genre with its own “niche” audience. On the basis of a content analysis of 39 Noise releases reviews by music critics, I examine the patterns of valorization and legitimation of the genre through the “art for art's sake” aesthetic ideology. This ideology involves emphasizing the special aesthetic qualities of the works, the figure of the autonomous creator and the extra-musical meanings conveyed by the works. Based on the results of the analysis, a coding sheet for coding reviews of Noise releases is presented. I conclude that the ideology of “art for art's sake” is widely used by critics as a way to valorize and legitimize Noise music. Nevertheless, the valorization is not restricted to application of these categories and it seems relevant to also consider other aesthetic categories in the analysis. The application of the presented toolkit to a large corpus of reviews can provide a complex picture of Noise legitimation and its dynamic over time.

Public perception of state restrictive policy: problems of measurement

2025-08-20T21:13:35+03:00

The article addresses conceptual and methodological issues in measuring citizens' political attitudes toward restrictive government policies. The first part of the study focuses on integrating disparate groups of research on political support and political attitudes toward various restrictive government measures into a unified category for measuring political attitudes toward restrictive policies. With rare exceptions, empirical studies on compliance based on survey methods and respondents' self-reports can also be included in this category. After consolidating these research groups into a single direction for studying citizens' attitudes toward restrictive policies, the author tackles the issue of validity in empirical studies of this kind. The results of a statistical analysis of studies on restrictive policies published in the Scopus database over the past ten years reveal that the overwhelming majority of contemporary researchers in this field continue to rely on survey-based formats. This raises several questions about the internal and external validity of such studies due to the sensitivity of questions posed to respondents. Additionally, several issues remain unresolved in existing research, such as forming excessively narrow samples, the overt nature of question design for respondents, and challenges in generalizing results in studies that use photo and video materials as interventions. A solution to the problem of validity violations is the use of experimental design, which is applied significantly less frequently in studies on restrictive policies compared to classical surveys. This includes list experiments, support experiments, and factorial surveys. The article also discusses examples of the proper use of such research designs, referencing recent studies.

Generative ai and sociology: analyzing virtual respondent technology

2025-08-20T21:13:36+03:00

The article analyzes the use of virtual respondents and large language models (LLM) in sociological research, including a review of domestic and foreign examples. The technical aspects of survey simulation with the help of LLM, including the choice of models, as well as practical recommendations for their application are considered. The advantages of this technology, such as the possibility of rapid data collection and adaptability, as well as disadvantages, including ethical risks and limitations in representativeness, are analyzed. Based on two pilot studies, it is found that to improve the effectiveness of the virtual respondent, it is recommended to first conduct a pilot survey with real participants, upload the results to the LLM and create a generalized virtual respondent trained on real responses to generate more reliable responses to the questions of interest.

On erroneous interpretations of focus group methodology

2025-09-05T19:18:01+03:00

Speech at the seminar named after V.A. Yadov at the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences December 16, 2024.

Response to the report of S.A. Belanovsky

2025-08-20T21:13:37+03:00

Review of the report by S.A. Belanovsky (2025) at the Yadov seminar.

To the discussion after the report of S.A. Belanovsky “On erroneous interpretations of focus group methodology”

2025-08-20T21:13:37+03:00

Commentary on the report of S.A. Belanovsky (2025) at the seminar of V.A. Yadov.

On methodological issues of conducting focus groups (based on personal experience)

2025-08-20T21:13:37+03:00

Overview of the report of S.A. Belanovsky (2025) at the seminar of V.A. Yadov.

Inevitability of interaction: commentary on the report of S.A. Belanovsky “On erroneous interpretations of focus group methodology”

2025-08-20T21:13:37+03:00

Commentary on the report of S.A. Belanovsky (2025) at the seminar of V.A. Yadov.