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Key Words Flashcards

(72 cards)

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1
Q

POSITIVISM

A

•Believe I’m natural laws:

E.G: earth orbits, migration of birds

•Social laws (predict human behaviour):

E.G: Fire-alarm, football fans react to a goal

•Patterns and trends in society:

E.G: Divorce rate is increasing, baby booms

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2
Q

RELIABILITY

A
  • Can you repeat the research and get similar results.

* Same question in same order every time

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3
Q

REPRESENTATIVENESS

A

•How accurate the data is, provides a fair reflection of target population

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4
Q

GENERALISABILITY

A

•Applying the research to the sample findings to wider population

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5
Q

VALIDITY

A

•True picture of social reality of what is being studied.

Put yourself in their shoes

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6
Q

QUANTITATIVE DATA

A

Numerical

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7
Q

WEBER (1929)

A

•ANTI- POSITIVIST, humans can have free will, conscious beings, active creators in our own lives, argues people have multiply social interactions

We are “architects of society”. Shape society.
Things you do in which affect society in either a good/bad way

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8
Q

VERSTEHEN

A

(Empathy)
Grounded theory, “put yourself in their shoes”

Explore meanings, researchers view shouldn’t be welcome in the respondents views

Don’t believe in scientific approach as humans have free will

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9
Q

SOCAIL PROBLEMS

A

Affects individuals/ groups in a negative way

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10
Q

SOCIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

A

Something of interest

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11
Q

FUNDING

A

Get given money to do research

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12
Q

ACCESS

A

Can you gain access to the target population, some groups are closed

E.G: Royal family, FBI, Pope

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13
Q

GATE KEEPING

A

People in charge who you would have to go to, to ask for access to research in that particular area

E.G: prison officers, leaders of a gang, head teachers

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14
Q

PRIMARY DATA

A

Collected first hand by the researcher, by going into the community with a particular research method

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15
Q

SECONDARY DATA

A

Data which is already available

E.G: ONS

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16
Q

QUALITATIVE DATA

A

Written

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17
Q

THEORETICAL FACTORS

A

Positivists (quantative data)
Interpretists (qualitative data)
Methodological pluralism (combine approaches)

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18
Q

TIME

A

Depends on a large extent on funding. A large budget would extend the time available.
E.G: a few months or a few years

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19
Q

AIMS

A

The intent of the study driven by a theory to explain in a given observation

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20
Q

HYPOTHESIS

A 
A prediction that the researcher thinks might be true 
Positivists approach (scientific)
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21
Q

OPERATIONALISATION

A

To define the keywords of your chosen topic

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22
Q

SAMPLING

A

A subset of the population being studied: it represents the larger population + is used to draw references about that population

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23
Q

RANDOM

A

Done without a method or conscious decision

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24
Q

PILOT STUDIES

A

A small scale study prior to the research

E.G: a sub scale

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25
RESPONDENT VALIDATION
Sociologists collect data on respondents E.G: interviews, questionnaires, observation Sociologists analyse data and record it
26
QUESTIONNAIRES
A set of questions given to the public to answer
27
SECONDARY DATA
Data which is already done
28
ETHNOGRAPHY
Study of another culture and their way of life
29
UNSTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
A guided conversation where the talk is informal but the interviewer plays an active role in that he or she manages the questions to ensure that the participant keeps to the subject of the research
30
GROUP INTERVIEWS
Some unstructured interviews are carried out with groups rather than individuals talking to group or panel respondents
31
FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEWS
Stimulus materials then discuss
32
SEMI STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
Mix of an unstructured and structured Interview. Usually contain lots of closed questions in order to generate facts, but also contain a few open questions
33
METHODOLOGICAL PLURALISM
Combined approach
34
STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS
Usually involves the researcher reading out a list of closed questions from an interview schedule ( a questionnaire) Usually little or no flexibility in the way that the questions are asked
35
TRIANGULATION
Combining of research methods in order to check or verify the validity of the research findings
36
LONGITUDINAL SURVEY
Study the same group of people over a long period of time Provide us with a clear image of changes in attitudes and behaviour over a number of years
37
CASE STUDY
A detailed and in-depth examination of one particular case or instance of something using methodological pluralism Can look at one single thing from several angles.
38
INTERPREVISM
Established by Weber in 1929 Believe that society (sometimes called the social world) is socially constructed in it is the product of two critical social process: 1. People choose to come together 2. Weber argues that what makes an interaction or event ‘social’ is that all those who take part give it the same meaning
39
VALUES OF RESEARCHER
Some sociologists are strongly attracted to the subject of sociology because they strongly feel that some injustice or inequality needs to be corrected HOWEVER.... important to understand that this doesn’t mean that sociologist is biased
40
RAPPORT
Ease of relationship between researcher and their subjects
41
SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE
How the subject interacts with others and how they interpret the social reality they find themselves in
42
RESEARCHER IMPOSITION
Interpretivist suggest that the positive emphasis on reliability can result in the researcher in position they claim that the positivist research only focuses on what the sociologist thinks is important and consequently it may neglect what the research subject really thinks
43
REFLEXIVITY
It is intended as a form of self evaluation that involves research is reflecting critically on how they organised the research process there every day experience of it and have a range of influences might have positively or negatively affected the validity of their findings
44
FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF TOPIC
1. social problems.... There are aspects of social life that cause misery and anxiety to both private individuals and society in general 2. Sociological problems.... A successful society involves a number of social institutions effectively carrying out a range of social processes and functions
45
CURRENT DEBATES
Researchers will also be influenced by what is currently fashionable in the academic world
46
ETHICS
BSA (British Sociological Association) Research subjects are people with rights and it is the responsibility of the researchers to make sure that people who take part in their research are not exploited or harmed
47
OBSERVATION
People can be observed in their natural environment. The sociologist is able to gain insight into normal everyday behaviour as a result of being part and parcel of his or her responding social world
48
NON PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Usually involves the researcher sitting and observing an activity such as a doctor and a patient interaction, school lesson and so on
49
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
Involves the sociologist immersing him self or herself in the lifestyle of the group he or she wishes to study
50
OVERT
The researcher joins in all the activities of a group but some or all of the group know that the researcher is a sociologist and is actively observing them
51
COVERT
Researcher inserts himself or herself into a group and conceals the fact that he or she is doing research
52
MIXED METHODS
Many sociologists use a combination of multiple research methods which collect both quantitive and qualitative data. There are essentially two ways in which this is done
53
OFFICIAL STATISTICTS
Numerical information Collected and used by the government and its agencies to make decisions about society and the economy
54
UNOFFICIAL STATISTICS
The quantitive data that is collected by non-government sources such as employers and think tanks etc
55
CONTENT ANALYSIS
Research method used by sociologists to analyse social life by interpreting words and images from documents film art music and other cultural products and media
56
OBJECTIVITY
Assumes that a truth or independent reality exists outside of any investigation or observation
57
VALUE FREEDOM
The ability of the researcher to keep his or her own values from interfering with the research process
58
QUANTATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Using surveys, using questionnaires
59
DURKHEIM (1897)
Functionalist and positivist
60
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Collects and works with non-numerical data and that seeks to interpret meaning from these data that helps understand social life through the study of targeted populations or places
61
ISSUES
Issue that has been recognised by society as a problem that is preventing society from functioning at an optimal level. It is important to understand that not all things that occur in society are raised to the level of social problems.
62
SYSTEMATIC
Apply both theoretical perspectives and research methods to examinations of social behaviour
63
STRATIFIED
The basis of which can include wealth and income
64
QUOTA
Type of nonprobability sampling which the researcher select people according to some fixed standard
65
PURPOSIVE
Nonprobability sample that is selected based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study
66
OPPORTUNITY
Available to people in any given society or institution are shaped by the social organisation and structure of that entity
67
SNOWBALL
Nonprobability sampling technique where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from among their acquaintances
68
Social survey
Involves obtaining information in a standardised from large groups of people
69
CLOSED QUESTIONS
Those with a limited number of possible responses often yes or no
70
OPEN QUESTIONS
Do not limit the possible answers that the respondent can give producing qualitative data which is generally considered to be higher in validity
71
INTERVIEWS
Directly asked questions to one or more interviewees. They can be structured, semi-structured and structured and can be conducted in groups or with individuals
72
DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS
Any aspect of an experiment that may reveal the hypothesis being tested or that may cure participants as to what behaviours expected

Sociology (2 decks)

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