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ECOLOGICAL STUDIES

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011

Ecological Studies was developed by criminologists in the early part of the twentieth century.

Ecological Studies or research looks at the relationships of various areas of a community to each other and the ways in which particular forms of behavior may flourish in some communities and not in others.

Century-Old Ecological Studies in France 
M. C. Elmer, The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jul., 1933), pp. 63-70
Abstract: A century ago, M. de Guerry de Champneuf made some interesting studies relating to the statistical distribution of crime, suicide, and other social phenomena. These distributions were made on the basis of groupings of age, sex, type of crime, and geographical distribution. While the supporting data of modern science were lacking, the studies might give us some interesting sidelights for comparison with the data of present-day studies in sociology and human ecology. - jstor.org

Ecological study of social fragmentation, poverty, and suicide
Elise Whitley, lecturer in medical statistics,a David Gunnell, senior lecturer in epidemiology and public health medicine,a Daniel Dorling, reader in geography,b and George Davey Smith, professor of clinical epidemiologya - British Medical Journal 1999 October 16; 319(7216): 1034–1037. 
It is important to recognise the limitations of ecological studies. Although socially fragmented areas have higher suicide rates, the people who commit suicide may not share the characteristics of the populations from which they are drawn. Moreover, the direction of the association is unclear, and it may be that people at high risk of suicide choose to live in socially fragmented areas or that these areas contain more hostels for mentally ill people. In addition, other factors may influence constituency level suicide rates, and the social fragmentation index may simply be a proxy for one or more of these. Despite these limitations, the ecological design was the most appropriate in this case to examine the effects of area based factors on suicide risk. - pubmedcentral.nih.gov

Impaired Competence in an Urban Community - An Ecological Analysis 
Edgar W. Butler, Department of Sociology University of California, Riverside 
Tzuen-Jen Lei, Neuropsychiatric Institute University of California, Los Angeles 
Ronald J. McAllister, Department of Sociology Northeastern University 
Urban Affairs Review, Vol. 13, No. 4, 421-442 (1978) DOI: 10.1177/107808747801300402 © 1978 SAGE Publications
During the past half-century, many studies have been conducted to determine both the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders. This ecological research has demonstrated that some factors external to the individual are related to mental disorders. However, ecological studies of other types of impairments are virtually nonexistent. This research is an ecological analysis of intellectual, behavioral, and physical impairments in an urban complex. Data analysis results, illustrated by computer graphics and statistical analysis, suggest that ecological patterns of intellectual impairments and behavioral retardation are similar to mental disorders and that high rates of these impairments are located in the same general ecological proximity in the urban complex. On the other hand, physical disabilities have a remarkably different spatial distribution and are not systematically related with variables ordinarily associated with mental disorders, intellectual impairment, or behavioral retardation. - uar.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/13/4/421?ck=nck

'Statistical Issues in the Analysis of Ecological Studies'', in May 2003, from Imperial College, London.
Abstract: Ecological studies are studies in which data are available for groups only, rather than for the individuals within them. Such studies are often used in epidemiology for a number of reasons; among them are data convenience, robustness to measurement error and use of environmental exposures. Unfortunately the analysis and interpretation of such data is not straightforward since relationships at the ecological level do not necessarily hold at the level of the individual, leading to the so-called ecological fallacy. Individual-level problems such as controlling for confounders and effect modification become more complicated in ecological studies, and within-area variation can result in additional bias exclusive to ecological designs.
This thesis presents a framework within which ecological studies may be considered. The size and direction of bias in ecological exposure effect estimates are examined under various distributional assumptions, and several methods for controlling ecological bias are proposed in a variety of settings. Methods are considered for both rare and non-rare disease events. Simulations comparing the performance of the proposed methods are presented and an illustrative example that demonstrates these techniques is presented. Finally, we describe general circumstances under which ecological studies will be beneficial. - people.bath.ac.uk/masres/research.html

The Concept of 'Ecological Complex': A Critique* 
By Sidney M. Willhelm
American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Volume 23 Issue 3 Page 241 - July 1964 doi:10.1111/j.1536-7150.1964.tb00954.x 
Abstract: This paper presents certain distinct and fundamental short comings contained in ecological explanations that rely upon physical variables. The limitations stem from the continuation of impersonal notions and questionable analytical premises. - blackwell-synergy.com

The Social Side of Schooling: Ecological Studies of Classrooms and Schools. 
Authors: Hamilton, Stephen F. 
Abstract: This paper discusses findings of ecological studies of classroom learning drawn from the fields of anthropology, sociology, and ecological psychology. The aim of the studies is to illustrate the processes of teaching and learning rather than to establish generalizable rules for instruction by challenging the methodology and findings of traditional educational research. The studies satisfy four criteria: (1) Teaching and learning are treated as continuously interactive rather than as a set of causes and effects; (2) Attitudes and perceptions of all participants are important; (3) Teachers' and students' interactions with the social and environmental climate are addressed; and (4) Ideally, ecological research considers both immediate and extended settings and relationships in its analysis. The studies are discussed in terms of socialization in the school, socialization and academic learning, the social patterns that perpetuate inequality, and studies of school change. - eric.ed.gov

Bursik, Jr., Robert J. 1984. “Urban Dynamics and Ecological Studies of Delinquency.” Social Forces, 63(2): 393-413.

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