Advanced Higher Research Methods Flashcards

Question

What are two key features of a focus group

Answer 1

Role of moderator is vital so needs to have high quality interpersonal skills Research could be longitudinal

Answer 2

Public attitudes to youth crime: report on focus group research. (Jessica Jacobson and Amy Kirby, Institute for Criminal Policy Research, Home Office, 30th July 2012)

Answer 3

Gain a wide range of views about several topics and these can be carefully chosen Can be used as preliminary research which could then generate further research Particularly good for gaining several perspectives about the same topic Gain insights related to peoples shared understanding about issues

Answer 4

Expensive and time consuming method of research The researcher has less control over the data produced than in quantitative studies or one to one interviews It will probably be a small group so not statistically valid Some people could be easily swayed so strong characters could dominate

Answer 5

The aim of this method is to observe the group behaviour as naturally as possible The choice of this method means that the researcher wants qualitative research with in depth information about feelings, interactions and processes. This method could put the researcher in danger and can raise ethical considerations e.g. Is it moral to get involved in criminal action if you are observing gang behaviour.

Answer 6

The observation can mean covert participation when the group studied will not know that their behaviour is being researched The observation can be overt which means the group do know that their behaviour is being studied If it is overt, it is possible only key people know the researcher's true identity and the aims of the research It is a primary source and provides qualitative data

Answer 7

Sudhir Venkatesh (2009) – “Gang Leader for a Day” - Study of the Black Kings, an African American gang who sold crack in Chicago.

Answer 8

Provides a realistic in-depth study of social behaviour and interaction It can produce small scale detailed research It is useful for studying interactions and processes over a lengthy period of time It is helpful for understanding the opinions of the group because behaviour is seen in its natural setting

Answer 9

The reliability of the research could be affected by the researcher's role within the group. It requires a large time commitment from the researcher and this will increase the costs It is difficult to avoid bias especially when the observation is covert It can be difficult to record information accurately

Answer 10

The census is taken everyone 10 years and is a survey of the total population of a country. It is a structured questionnaire and is used to find out facts about family size, house size, car ownership etc and how these have changed over a 10-year period. This establishes trends, which is why the UK's figures are published in Social Trends. These statistics can be used to predict future needs like house and road building.

Answer 11

The aim of this method is to observe group behaviour without the researcher taking part in the group activities. The choice of this method is used when the researcher wants to study a group so that the group are unaware that they are being studied and therefore do not modify their behaviour.   The range of topics is limited to those that have a significant visual component, for example, studying the body language of social behaviour in public places.

Answer 12

It is a primary source of information It may be overt or covert observation It can be qualitative and quantitative, for example, can watch and record information but also count different reactions (watch shop-lifters, count particular type of behaviour) It would probably involve video-recording

Answer 13

Video evidence can be examined and therefore verified any others which improves its reliability Easy to record data. The researcher cannot influence the behaviour so the method is fairly objective and unbiased It allows a useful insight into a phenomenon, and sidesteps the ethical and practical difficulties of setting up a large and cumbersome participation research project.

Answer 14

Covert observation can raise the ethical questions of whether this is acceptable Overt observation may risk the ‘Hawthorne effect’ as people know they are being watched. Can be times consuming and expensive Meaning of what is observed can be open to different interpretations

Answer 15

The aim is to gather current information from a variety of types of media for comparison. The choice is used when the researcher wants to get research from secondary sources, which give different viewpoints.

Answer 16

A cheap and available method of getting up to date information Some are also available on internet Provides fairly in depth information which includes commentary and quotations from various experts and analysis of topics Can give different perspectives on a topic

Answer 17

This is a secondary source which depends on other peoples'choices, opinions Newspapers are not objective sources Newspapers often exaggerate/sensationalise to raise their circulation figures Popular press in particular can depersonalise the event and the real issue is lost

Answer 18

These are a type of questionnaire/survey so information about how surveys operate and sampling techniques provide relevant information. As these surveys tend to be political, constituencies are often used as the basis of the sample so this means that constituencies chosen have to be representative of the population. These surveys are commissioned by a range of organisations which include newspapers, TV, pressure groups

Answer 19

Need constituencies from different geographical areas, North, South, urban, rural Need constituencies with different types of people, black, white, Asia, middle and working class, male and female Need marginal, safe constituencies Ideally sample should have a mixture of floating voters and party loyalists

Answer 20

The results are not always reliable, as during Donald Trumps presidential campaign, the polls put democratic rival Hillary Clinton ahead. The sample size is usually about 1000 which is said to give plus/minus 3% accuracy.

Answer 21

Sampling errors (not representative, too small) People do not always respond truthfully People can change their minds and can be influenced by results of polls (see below) People may respond to questions but not bother to vote

Answer 22

The aim of these is usually to get factual information. The choice of this method would mean the researcher wanted to collect a lot of superficial information over a large geographical area and/or from a large number of people.

Answer 23

This method usually involves face to face interviews where a pre-set list of questions is used which require a limited response but could be done via phone or internet. It is like a questionnaire but is face to face. It is a primary source providing quantitative data. Questions need to be clear and unambiguous.

Answer 24

It is good for gaining factual information Results are easy to quantity It gets a good response rate as it is an interview situation It is cheap and if a short questionnaire is used fairly quick method of collecting data

Answer 25

It can be time-consuming if the sample is large Issues cannot be explored in-depth Questions can themselves be biased and not allow for certain answers, for example, the answer the respondent wants may not be there It is an unsuitable method for finding information about processes

Answer 26

The Aim of this method is to get detailed information from the people interviewed. The choice will be influenced by time and cost and the type of information required, for example, if there is a need for in-depth information about social behaviour.

Answer 27

It is a primary source of information and provides qualitative data. Questions are not necessarily pre set It could start with prepared structured questions but then is flexible The researcher can cover a broad range of issues

Answer 28

Can sometimes be hard to maintain the focus of the interview Open to bias as the researcher can easily influence the respondent's replies e.g. by giving non-verbal clues Some people may not agree to be interviewed so the sample could be composed of like minded people It is difficult to ensure objectivity when the questions are not standardised

Answer 29

Allows researchers to establish “verstehen” — understanding from the perspective of the interviewee. Question “scripts” or lists (interview guides) ensure a degree of similarity in the questions asked to each respondent, keeping results more reliable. Qualitative interviewing is focused on the interviewee’s point of view rather than the researcher’s concerns, thus reducing interviewer bias. Respondents’ views of the world, attitudes, motivations, feelings and emotions can be explored.

Answer 30

Information gained may be untrustworthy — based on respondents lying, forgetting or being ignorant of the issue in question. Interviewer presence (if viewed as unfriendly) may influence or limit interviewees’ responses. Interviewer presence may lead to “interviewer bias” — consciously or unconsciously directing interviewees to a certain type of response. Interviews are unnatural social situations (ecological validity) which will always affect the behaviour of interviewees.

Answer 31

Fairly cheap option Anonymous so no embarrassment factor People have plenty of time to consider their answers Can get access to people worldwide so broaden the scope of the survey

Answer 32

Sample restricted to those with internet access so not representative People may not take it seriously and give considered answers Type of person who is prepared to respond could slant the results

Answer 33

higher response rate Fairly cheap option Easy access and will get sensible responses if interviewer skilled Still fairly anonymous so less of an embarrassment factor

Answer 34

May not be suitable for certain groups without phones (homeless) People are ex directory/use mobile phones Time of phoning could affect type of person (e.g. age) that respond Difficult to ensure that you get a representative sample or indeed know who is answering

Answer 35

The basic method is random sampling, which means that everyone in the population has an equal chance of being selected. In a class setting, you could pick 5 names out a hat, or stick a pin to select a name. Nowadays computers are used to select randomly. You can, however, improve on random sampling so as to increase the chance that your sample will reflect the characteristics of the total population.

Answer 36

This is an attempt to make your sample as representative as possible. You need to find out the general characteristics of the population you are interested in and then divide this into strata maybe according to age and gender. A sample is then drawn randomly from each stratum you have identified. This is like putting all the males aged over 65 in a hat and then pulling them out randomly.

Answer 37

It would be time-consuming and expensive to survey throughout Britain so instead you select certain areas at random in certain parts of the country and this is called cluster sampling. It is easier to collect data from a smaller geographical area.

Answer 38

This means that you take every nth person from your sampling frame. You could, for example, if your sample was to be 100 take every 10th person from 1000 names on the electoral register.

Answer 39

This is used if you want to study a group that does not have a sampling frame. This method is useful when people do not want to be identified or they are difficult to find (e.g. Criminals) You would have to make contact with some-one in your population (youth gangsters) and having gained their confidence get them to give you further names for research, hence creating a snowball effect. It is likely to be an unrepresentative sample.

Answer 40

Most market research companies use the type of sampling called quota sampling. This is a cheap and accurate method. The interviewer is told to select and interview an exact number from each of the groups that are in the population. The number of people in each group, and thus the proportion in each group in the sample, will be in the same proportion as in the population.

Answer 41

You need to know a lot about the population you are studying and this is not always the case Interviewers need to be well trained and experienced to accurately select people to fill their quotas.

Answer 42

It is not easy to get a representative sample as people are not always honest about certain things and may, for example, not identify with a particular social class. Without a representative and very large sample, there are question marks over the validity of a survey and the reliability of the conclusions. It remains, however, a popular and fairly cheap method of collecting peoples' opinions

Answer 43

Political and Social sampling will often use constituencies as the basis of the sample so this needs to include: Different geographical areas in country (North/South) Urban/rural areas Safe/marginal seats Affluent/Deprived areas They also have to include different types of people  Age groups Gender Ethnic groups Social class Floating voters/loyalists

Answer 44

The researcher is in control of how the information is gathered. The researcher can collect information to find the precise information necessary for the research The researcher can ensure that specific questions are asked The researcher can amend and modify the research if necessary

Answer 45

Primary research is time consuming and costly Qualitative methods will tend to be biased

Answer 46

Saves times and money as research is already available Can provide information not easily found elsewhere

Answer 47

The reliability is questionable, as you cannot usually check this Other peoples' research may be biased Purpose behind the research could be different therefore it may not meet your requirements Could be time-consuming to sift through a large amount of information

Answer 48

Diary entries Facebook & Twitter posts, Letters and other personal accounts Newspapers

Answer 49

Sometimes the only source of information available on a particular topic over time. Can provide a gateway to the past to understanding the concerns and attitudes of people at the time. This may include letter columns in newspapers as well as comment postings on online newspapers such as the Guardian. Analysing historical documents is useful in allowing researchers to gain insights into the beliefs, ideologies and values held by their authors.

Answer 50

Credibility? How can you detect exaggeration and biases in an individual diary entry or post? Entries may reflect the interests and belief of the author and could be selected to portray them in a more positive light. Newspaper accounts may reflect the values of the newspaper creating the report. Are the accounts truly representative?

Answer 51

Participants must be informed. They must not be deceived. Their consent must be given. They have the right to withdraw.

Answer 52

Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of obedience experiments during the 1960s that led to some surprising results. When Milgram posed the question - If a person in a position of authority ordered you to deliver a 400-volt electrical shock to another person, would you follow orders? - to a group of Yale University students, it was predicted that no more than 3 out of 100 participants would deliver the maximum shock. In reality, 65% of the participants in Milgram’s study delivered the maximum shocks. He felt he had to deceive them for the experiment to work despite causing the participants distress.

Answer 53

Will the findings be the same if the study is repeated?

Answer 54

To what extent do the research findings provide a true picture of what is studied?

Answer 55

A group of people born at the same time will be studied over a period of years to see how their different social and economic backgrounds affect their lives (7 UP), their educational achievement etc.

Answer 56

Survey Monkey

Answer 57

2019 Labour, day off General election vote labour was trending yet the conservatives won their greatest majority since 1987