Theory & Methods

Question 1

laboratory experiments

Answer 1

• favored by positivists, lab experiments test hypotheses in a controlled environment where the researcher changes the independent variable and measures the effect on the dependent variable.

Question 2

advantages of lab experiments

Answer 2

• highly reliable
  can be replicated and the original experiment can specify what steps were followed in the original experiment.
• can easily identify cause and effect relationships.

Question 3

disadvantages of laboratory experimens

Answer 3

• artificiality
  lab experiments are carried out in a highly artificial environment and may not reveal how people act in the real world.
• the Hawthorne effect
  a lab is not a formal or natural environment if people know they are being studied they may act differently.
• the researcher needs informed consent of the participant
  E.G. SPE (participants were not fully informed of the experiment)
• the research may show elements of deception in order to find out the cause effects

Question 4

Questionnaire

Answer 4

• favored by positivists, written or self-completed questionnaires are a form of social survey and can be distributed in a range of ways - notably, via post, emailed, or handed out in person.
• questionnaires are typically a list of pre-set questions that are close-end questions with pre-coded answers.

Question 5

advantages of questionnaires

Answer 5

practical - questionnaires are cheap and quick

representative - can reach a geographically widespread research sample

reliable - can be easily replicated due to how the questions are pre-set

limited ethical issues - the respondent is under no obligation to answer the question

Question 6

disadvantages of questionnaires

Answer 6

response rate - postal questionnaires in particular obtain a low response rate, which may hinder the representativity

low validity - people may be more willing to lie

unrepresentative - you are likely to get a certain group of people who would be more willing to answer the questionnaire.

structures questionnaires arent qualitative

Question 7

structured interviews

Answer 7

• involve face-to-face or over-the-phone delivery of questionnaire
• use a list of pre-set questions designed by the researcher and asked of all interviewees in the same way

Question 8

advantages of structured interviews

Answer 8

practical - training interviews and administrations is easy and cheap

representative - can reach a geographically wide research sample

results are easily quantifiable because they use close-ended questions with coded answers.

reliable -

researchers don’t require a set amount of interpersonal skills

Question 9

disadvantages of structured interviews

Answer 9

lack validity - people may lie f exaggerate

may be time consuming to organize

Question 10

official statistics

Answer 10

• quantitive data collected by government bodies
• data is quick cheap and easy to access and is easy to access and covers a wide range of social issues

Question 11

advantages of official statistics

Answer 11

practical - cheap and easy to obtain
easy to access
can easily identify and cross-examine cause-and-effect relationships

representative - often large groups of people

reliable - have to be filled out by law

Question 12

disadvantages of official statistics

Answer 12

• the government collects these for its own benefit, misinterpreted by sociologists.
• could have a hidden agenda or miss key info
• definitions may be different

unreliable - census coders may make errors or people may fill them out incorrectly

• doesn’t reveal the reasons why the statistics are the way they are.

Question 13

unstructured interviews

Answer 13

the interpretivists - favored method of unstructured interviews

• mainly ask open-ended questions that produce qualitative data, rich in meaning
• there is a strong relationship built between the interviewer and interviewee = means the data is more likely to be valid

Question 14

advantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 14

rapport - the informality allows the interviewer to develop a relationship with the interviewee

flexibility - the interviewer is not restricted to a fixed set of questions

valid - they are flexible due to how the conversation is not constrained by fixed questions, people can therefore be more truthful.

Question 15

disadvantages of unstructured interviews

Answer 15

impractical - due to how unstructured interviews are typically longer, they consume ire time and have a smaller research sample

impractical - interviewers need specific interpersonal skills which may be more costly and time-consuming to get

unrepresentative - due to how there is a small research sample, the data obtained is not representative of the wider population

unreliable - due to how the questions are open they cannot easily be repeated by another researcher.
additionally the respondents ability to respond in a way they wish makes it impossible to clarify their responses

Question 16

participant observation

Answer 16

the researcher joins in the activities of the group they are researching

Question 17

advantages of participant observations

Answer 17

valid - groups are observed in a natural and authentic setting, therefore the data is more likely to be a true account of the groups behaviour

Question 18

disaadvantages of participant obersvation

Answer 18

unreliable - being open-ended and subjective research there is no fixed procedure it standardized system of measurement and cannot be replicated

unrepresentative - most participant observations investigate small-scale groups that are not representative of the wider population

invalid - the researcher is at risk of ‘going native’ meaning the researcher over-identifies with the group

unethical - it is difficult to ensure the anonymity of the participants

practical issues - there are issues with getting into the groups staying in the group and leaving the group.