Cultural Scripts in Quantitative Sociology

• In Event: Methods and Methodologies in the History of Sociology and Social Thought

Abstract

Sociologists using quantitative methods have shown surprising hostilities toward each other amid the abundant opportunities brought by the rise of the internet. We propose that the expertise required to use the novel techniques posed a divisive challenge, revealing an instance of ‘secondary expert problems’ that have long plagued professions. Our analysis draws on an original dataset of 36 quantitative research articles published before the internet was widely available and after its widespread adoption. We hand-coded over 1,700 decision-justification pairs in these articles. They show evidence of standard formalist and constructionist theories, but most clearly uncover the workings of cultural scripts. Consistent with predictions from everyday settings, authors shifted from unexamined reasoning to justifications that used extensive intellectual machineries. Their continuous reliance on analytical reasoning indicated how experts find footing in concrete problems, even as larger changes entangle them in metatextual issues.

Authors

• Philipp Soeren Brandt, Sciences Po

• Josephine Bertoux, University of Cambridge