Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

sociology - research methods > content of research methods > Flashcards

content of research methods Flashcards

(56 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

what are some practical factors?

A
  1. money
  2. time
  3. access
  4. personal/researcher skill
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what are some ethical factors?

A
  1. informed consent
  2. confidentiality
  3. morality
  4. vulnerable groups
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what are some theoretical factors?

A
  1. validity
  2. reliability
  3. representativeness
  4. verstehen
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what do interpretivists believe?

A
  • they are a micro, social action theory
  • ## they believe individuals have free will and influence the social structures in society
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what methods do interpretivists prefer?

A
  • qualitative data that produces written detailed data
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what are some examples of interpretivist theories?

A
  1. interactionists/social action
  2. labelling theory
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what do positivists believe?

A
  • they are macro, structural theory
  • believe that individuals are controlled by structures
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what methods do positivists prefer?

A
  • quantitative methods and numerical data (except for feminists)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are some examples of positivist theories?

A
  • functionalism
  • marxism
  • feminism
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what are some quantitative methods? (high in reliability)

A
  • official stats
  • non participant observation
  • laboratory experiments
  • questionnaires
  • structured interviews
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what are some qualitative methods? (high in validity)

A
  • unstructured interviews
  • diaries and blogs
  • participant observation
  • field experiments
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

why do positivists prefer reliability?

A
  • to measure patterns and trends
  • to discover the objective scientific laws of cause and effect
  • can gain social facts (generalisation)
  • can remain objective and detached
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

why do interpretivists prefer validity?

A
  • want to discover meaning behind individual experiences
  • can get rich in depth data
  • can build a rapport
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what are the some random sampling methods?

A
  1. simple random
  2. systematic sampling
  3. stratified sampling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is simple random sampling? (random)
whats its strengths and weaknesses?

A

where every sample has an equal chance of being selected

strengths:
- representative
- quick
- less bias

weaknesses:
- not useful for difficult to access groups
- may not be representative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is systematic sampling? (random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

when the names are selected from the sampling frame at regular intervals until desired size is achieved?

Strengths:
- can be representative
- is objective

weaknesses:
- time consuming
- not useful for difficult to access groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is stratified sampling? (random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

the sampling frame is divided into smaller sampling frames, eg, sex, age etc

strengths:
- representative
- limits bias

weaknesses:
- time consuming
- requires lots of info about the sampling frame

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what are some non random sampling methods?

A
  1. quota sampling
  2. snowball sampling
  3. opportunity sampling
  4. theoretical sampling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is quota sampling? (non random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

establishes a predetermined number of people with each particular characteristic to represent the specific category

strengths:
- could be representative

weaknesses:
- may be elements of bias
- time consuming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is snowball sampling? (non random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

the researcher identifies one or two people with the characteristics they are interested in. then ask them to introduce them to other people that are similar

strengths:
- a way to gain access to difficult groups

weaknesses:
- time consuming
- elements of bias
- not representative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what is opportunity sampling? (non random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

refers to people that are easily contactable

Strengths:
- quick
- cheap

weaknesses:
- not representative
- elements of bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is theoretical sampling? (non random)
what are its strengths and weaknesses?

A

the position of the researcher’s theoretical position will guide what is important in the sample group

strengths:
supports development of theories

weaknesses:
- not representative

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what are the types of experiments?

Study These Flashcards
A
  1. lab experiments
  2. field experiments
  3. comparative experiments
24
Q

what is a lab experiment?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • usually happens in an artificial controlled setting
25
what is a field experiment?
- occurs in the person's natural environment
26
what are comparative experiments?
- thought experiments that take place in the mind of the researcher
27
what are strengths of lab experiments?
[p] - quite quick - quite cheap [e] - there is informed consent - confidentiality - lack of deception [t] - reliable - remains objective
28
what are weaknesses of lab experiments ?
[p] - may need to offer incentives to get people to participate [e] - no informed consent - deception - harm to participant - morality [t] - lacks validity - may have harwthorne effect - not representative
29
what are strengths of field experiments?
[p] - cost (cheap) - dont need researcher skill [e] - reduction of psychological harm - lower risk of observer bias( researcher doesnt need to manipulate them) [t] - reliable - valid - less hawthorne affect
30
what are weaknesses of field experiments?
[p] - time consuming - access [e] - informed consent - deception - harm - confidentiality [t] - reliability (cant control all variables) - representative - no verstehen
31
what are strengths of comparative experiments?
[p] - cheap - easy access - quick - dont need researcher skill [e] - no deception - no need for informed consent - no harm to participant [t] - more reliable - representative
32
what are weaknesses of comparative experiments?
[p] - time consuming to analyse [e] [t] - less valid - no verstehen
33
what are advantages of closed questionnaires?
- easy to analyse - more likely to get a higher response rate
34
what are disadvantages of closed questionnaires?
- lacks validity
35
what are advantages of open questionnaires?
- gain more valid responses - helps with verstehen
36
what are disadvantages of open questionnaires?
- not reliable - harder to analyse
37
what are the strengths of questionnaires
[p] - quick - cheap - detached method [e] - informed consent - no deception - confidentiality [t] - reliable (can repeat due to it being closed questions) - representative - remains objective
38
what are weaknesses of questionnaires?
[p] - may need researcher skills [e] - possible that could be decieved about what the research is actually used for - may have harm to participant if its a sensitive topic [t] - lacks verstehen - lacks validity - may be elements of social desirability
39
what are strengths of structured interviews?
[p] - quick - dont need researcher skills - objective [e] - there is consent - there is no deception [t] - reliable
40
what are weaknesses of structured interviews?
[p] [e] - may be harm if topic is sensitive [t] - lacks validity - no verstehen - social desirability
41
what are strengths of unstructured interviews?
[p] - cheap - access [e] - informed consent - no deception [t] - validity - verstehen - can build a rapport
42
what are weaknesses of unstructured interviews?
[p] - time consuming [e] - there may be leading questions [t] - lacks objectivity - lacks reliability - not as representative (usually small sample)
43
what are strengths of group interviews?
[p] - no need for that much researcher skill [e] - informed consent - no deception [t] - can build a rapport with the group - verstehen - validity
44
what are the weaknesses of group interviews?
[p] - time consuming - researcher skill may be needed to control the group [e] - may be harm to participants if the topic is sensitive [t] - not representative - may be elements of social desirability
45
what are the strengths of covert observation?
[p] - cheap [e] [t] - more valid - no hawthorne effect - verstehen
46
what are weaknesses of covert observation?
[p] - need researcher skills - time consuming [e] - deception - no informed consent - morality [t] not representative
47
what are strengths of overt participant?
[p] - cheap - no need for researcher skills [e] - objectivity - informed consent [t] - higher reliability
48
what are weaknesses of overt participation?
[p] - time consuming [e] - may be deception [t] - hawthorne effect - social desirability - less valid
49
what are strengths of blogs/diaries?
[p] - cheap - easy to access [e] - informed consent [t] - high validity - verstehen
50
what are weaknesses of blogs/diaries?
[p] - time consuming to analyse - may be hard to interpret [e] - may reveal sensitive info - may not gain permission of person [t] - not reliable - lacks objectivity
51
what are strengths of official stats?
[p] - cheap - easy access [e] - no participant harm - no deception [t] - representative - reliable - generalisable
52
what are weaknesses of official statistics?
[p] - may be time consuming to analyse [e] - stats can be manipulated by gov - topic can be manipulated [t] - not all is recorded - low validity
53
what are advantages of positivist methods?
1. reliable - methods can be standardised and repeated (e,g,survey's) 2. scientific - aiming to find patterns and trends (e,g, durkheim's suicide study) 3. larger samples make it more representative (e,g, national surveys like census over millions)
54
what are disadvantages of positivist methods?
1. lacks validity 2. detached so ignores people's life experiences (e,g, respondents might tick boxes that dont reflect their real views) 3. interpreting stats can reflect the researcher's views (e,g, gov stats might underreport things like dv
55
what are advantages of interpretivist methods?
1. high validity 2. can build a rapport 3. gain meanings and understanding
56
what are disadvantages of interpretivist
1. lack reliability(e.g, each unstructured interview will be different) 2. time consuming as gaining access, building a rapport and analysing data takes time 3. small sample size so may not be generalisable

sociology - research methods (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions