Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
researcher can determine the appropriate classification: basic or applied;
anthropological,psychological,orsociological;andsoon.Inthisinstance,the
issue most relevant to proper classification is a function of the type of ques-
tions posed.
An ethnographic study of incest raises questions of social organization and
cultural rules and regulations. Arthur Wolf's (1970) ethnographic study of
incest in China is a classic example of basic research. His work supports
Westermarck's hypothesis that intimate childhood contact promotes sexual
aversion rather than Freud's contention that the taboo is imposed to prohibit
incestuous behavior. This work is primarily theoretical in nature, without any
policy, pragmatic, or timely application.
A study of incest can also be an applied ethnographic task. Phelan's (1987)
work in this area is a good example. Phelan studied what incest means in U.S.
society. She found significant differences between the behavior and percep-
tions of incestuous natural fathers and those of stepfathers. For example, nat-
ural fathers were more likely to have intercourse with their children because
they considered them extensions of themselves. Her work raised important
questions about the role of the incest taboo, and her research had direct impli-
cations for treatment facilities throughout the country. Wolf's (1970) basic
research approach to the problem of incest involved long-term fieldwork and
years of sifting through familial and government records. Phelan's applied
research approach required less time in the field and less time sifting through
records. Whereas Phelan's applied research had significant implications for
immediate practical counseling approaches, with some less powerful theoreti-
cal impact, Wolf's research findings had significant implications for kinship
theory, with little or no immediate practical significance. Basic research is
conceptualized and designed by the researcher, who seeks funding—typically
a grant—from a potentially interested sponsor. The findings are reported in
refereed journals.The applied research effort, often funded by a contract, is a
fullydevelopedresponsetoasponsor'sexpressedinterestinthetopic.Itsfind-
ings are published in reports for the sponsor.
Despite these differences, the boundaries between basic and applied
research become fuzzier every day. Many applied researchers now have an
establishedresearchinterestwithsignificanttheoreticalimplications,andthey
search for a sponsor with stated similar interests in a request for proposals.
Furthermore, they are publishing more frequently in refereed journals and
scholarly texts—not unlike basic researchers, who have career interests and
seek funding from interested sponsors.The traditional differences that charac-
terize each type of researcher, however, still hold, and these also characterize
the relationship between the problem and how it is articulated, researched, and
written about.
