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sociology > research methods pt 2 > Flashcards

research methods pt 2 Flashcards

1
Q

what do approaches mean for sociological research

A

provide frameworks or structures for sociological research, draw on one or more methods

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2
Q

different sociological approaches include

A

case studies, ethnographies, longitudinal studies and social surveys

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3
Q

strengths of case studies

A
  1. they collect rich and detailed data, to provide and insider view, not possible in larger sample. helps generate fresh insights and ideas
  2. case studies can be the basis of larger studies, useful for making questionnaires, interviews, also just a part of larger studies making them for meaningful
  3. case studies are important warnings against sweeping generalisations, findings can lead to modification and rejection of theories
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4
Q

limitations of case studies

A

criticised as one off instances, unrepresentative, ungeneralisable

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5
Q

ethnography is used to research

A

a group of people, community and their way of life, includes culture, structure. immerse themselves in everyday lives
use qualitative, participant observation and in depth interviews

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6
Q

strengths of ethnographies

A

mostly based on strengths of participant observation, detailed and rich

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7
Q

limitations of ethnographies

A

ethical dilemmas in covert, objectivity, observer effect related to participant observation

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8
Q

longitudinal studies

A

concerned with change, studies same group over a period of time \researcher revisits same sample at multiple points in time

usually quantitative based on questionnaires and structured interviews

eg ghs general household survey in nigeria evry 2-3 yrs to understand, living standards, education , healtyh to inform policy makers

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9
Q

2 types of longitudinal studies based on sample identified by

A

bryman
cohort-evryone in cohort shares a particular characteristic
panel- selected from a full population

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10
Q

ethical concerns in longitudinal studies

A

illness, loss unable to give informed consent, grief embarrassment talking about past issues

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11
Q

strengths of longitudinal studies

A
  1. provide a picture of changing trends and developments, by using same sample, it isnt just individual changes
  2. people not asked to recall much older things where memory may fail them therefore increasing validity
  3. focus on continuity, what stays the same and social chnages
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12
Q

limitations of longitudinal studies

A
  1. high attrition rate due to death, immigration, health, loss of interest, making it less representative and less generalisble
  2. few organisations can afford such a long study
  3. involvement in a study could cause participants to change their way of thinking and behaviour making it less valid
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13
Q

social surveys

A

systematic sample at one time collection of the same type of data over a fairly large
usually questionnaires or structured interviews

eg ndhs nepal demographic and health survey

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14
Q

who is auguste comte
what did he argue

A

19th century postivist who coined term sociology
argued that sociology should e studied like the natural sciences

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15
Q

who said sociology was ‘science of society’ why

A

auguste comte
because studying sociology like a science would reveal ‘invariable laws’ that governed evolution of human society

isisted only directky observable facts was acceptable

positive science of society

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16
Q

postivist assumption of behaviour
auguste comte

A

behaviour of matter is a reaction to external stimuli so human behaviour is reaction to external forces like socio economic structure

natural science methodology appropriate

cause and effect relationships, use of objective value free data

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17
Q

name positivists who saw, sociology as similar to natural sciences

A

auguste comte
emile durkheim
karl popper

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18
Q

what are ‘social facts’ who coined the term

A

emile durkheim
wrote a book ‘in the rules of sociological research’
most imprtnat rule was to consider social facts as things

social facts are institutions norms and values in a society
these fact are to be understood as things and treated like objects of the natural world with the same degree of objectivity

social facts can be objectively measured. quantified, subjected to stastical analysis and used for correlational studies

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19
Q

crtics of durkheim’s approach to research say

A

humans have conciouness making them fundamentally different from inanimate objects

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20
Q

do social facts exist outside of us

why doe she make that claim

A

yes durkheim claims collective ways of acting and thinking have realties outside of individuals

woth this reasoning he argues that social facts can be studied objectively as ‘external things’. thus matter reacts to stimuli and humans to social facts

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21
Q

who said humans react to social facts and argues its objectivity

A

durkheim

22
Q

durkheims study of suicide highlights

A

suicide rates are social facts and product of social facts at the same time

statistical correlations between suicide rates and other things like religion age family situation
like protestatnts, unmarried, city dwellers more likely to succumb

believed his research proved scientific methos was more appropriate because it showed real laws are discoverable

23
Q

what do interpretivists think of the natural science approach

A

matter lacks agency and simply reacts to stimuli, cannot be applied to humans

24
Q

interpretivists that studied suicide

A

atkinson and jack douglas

25
Q

what does atkinson say

A

how do deaths get categorised as suicides
atkinson crticises durkheim as does not see suicide as a social fact, but a social meaning

coroners use a commonsense theory of deciding whether the death is suicide
-suicide threats or notes
-type of death, gassing hanging
-location
-biography depression struggles

he says suicides are not objective social facts , they are construction of meaning like all other aspects of social reality

26
Q

what does jack douglas say about suicide

A

it is not simply a meaning it has a reality

it is an act defined by the friends family, coroner

steps
1. analyse suicide notes, examine diaries, interview families, build biography

  1. look for meanings ‘cry for help’ suicide, self punishment,
  2. link with wider cultural beliefs
    western out of ordinary, nomadic often left to die\
27
Q

who is max weber

A

interpretivist who talked about social action and verstehen

28
Q

what is verstehen

A

‘empathetic understanding’
researchers put them selves in shoes of the person they are researching

29
Q

criticism of positivist interpretivist dichotomy

A

pawson- rather than 2 approaches whole range of approaches

examination of actual research shows most studies are mix method approaches - methodological pluralism

30
Q

triangulation

A

cross checking the validity of research findings
multiple methods that check for consistency of validity

between 3 researches, primary and secondary data, 2 methods

31
Q

positivism aims to

A

discover cause and effect relationships unerdyling human behaviour and applies statistical techniques

32
Q

what is deductive approach

A

top down approach

theory
hypothesis
observation and measurement
confirmation/modification/rejection of theory

33
Q

who was karl popper

A

philosopher of science
falsification of theories

34
Q

what did karl popper say

A

instead of looking to confirm theories, evividemce to diprove should be looked for. even if not found shows that truth is relative just because not falsified does not mean proven. no absolute truths in science

supported application of methodology of natural science in social science

35
Q

grounded theory

A

bottom up approach
inductive approach

data
analysis
pattern connection theory

durkheim supported this

36
Q

who was thomas kuhn

A

normal science

37
Q

what is normal science

A

vast majority of science

most scientists are preoccupied with normal science and normal science operates within a paradigm. a paradigm is a framework of concepts and theories which states how the natural world operates. a paradigm is shared by a scientific community.

normal science operates within the paradigm refining and developing it but not challenging it

he says scientists are so committed to the paradigm that they don’t attempt to falsify it

38
Q

scientific revolution according to kuhn

A

when one paradigm replaces another. sudden and revolutionary. like replacement of newtons paradigm with einsteins.

39
Q

kuhns view of sociology

A

sociology is preparadigmatic and therefore pre scientific.
and there are a range of sociological perspectives but scant indication that they would be acceptable to a single community.

40
Q

criticism of normal science

A

imre lakatos rejects it saying development of science in history as competing paradigms. a lakatos view then sociology does not disquality from being a science

41
Q

realist view of science

A

accepts basic differences between natural and social worlds but maintains that a social science is possible. argues that in both the worlds there exist underlying structures and mechanisms.
according to roy bhaskar, task of realism is to uncover these structures.

42
Q

name a realist approach to science

A

roy bhaskar

43
Q

who is andrew sayer

A

open and closed systems

44
Q

what is open and closed systems

A

he distinguishes them as arenas of study. lab closed so variables controlled and conditions fixed, natural sciences hv advantage. but stuff like meteorology, is open and weather not accurate predicted, evolution cannot be predicted because its in the open and even human behaviour is in the open and cannot be predicted

45
Q

interpretivism and natural science

A

starts from the biew that natural sciences and social sciences are fundamentally different.
argues matter is inanimate and humans have agency and human actions are driven by meaning. and sociologists job is to discover meanings thru participantob/ interview/ etc

and objectivity is not possible because discovery of meanings cannot be value free.

46
Q

role of values, objectivity and subjectivity

A

objectivity involves value freedom, impartiality, and lack of bias.

alvin gouldner said value free sociology is a myth.

howard becker shares this view and says no research can be unbaised. he says the world can be divided into the powerful and powerless and we cannot avoid taking sides and he sides with the powerless underdogs.

47
Q

solution to increase objectivity

A

becker
we must not misuse the tools and techniques of our discipline . not ask leading questions, gaurd against personal and political sentiments.

cillford geetrz points out the you cannot just give up on objectivity, like just because an completely aseptic enviroment is impossible doesnt mean you conduct a surgery in a sewer

48
Q

postmodernist view of objectivity

A

objectivity is a myth, research findings are constracutions to persuade and give the impression of rational analytical thinking. extreme version of relativism where all knowledge is relative to time place culture and individual. postmoderninst reject the idea that valid knowledge is possible, they reject meta narratives and focus on comparing these narratives rather showing truth or facts

49
Q

feminist politics in research

A

feminists argue that the separation of womens struggle against patriarchy is impossible. they argue that malestream sociology is saturated with assumptioms of male dominance and a feminist alt required. feminists should not be neutral but positively identitfy with women. emphasise on the importance of reflexivity reflecting crtically on a research.

50
Q

name the feminist that talked about male stream sociology and feminist politics

A

maria mies

sociology (9 decks)

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