Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Sociology > Methodology > Flashcards

Methodology Flashcards

(62 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Why we need people to research

A

To find out information about particular groups in society
People are adaptable
People can provide more in depth info

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

What issues do researchers research

A 
Cultural impact
Differences between genders
Crime stats 
Rape 
Violence
Ethnicity - offending rates 
Influences/behaviour
Effects of the media
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the 6 main research methods

A 
Questionnaires
Structured interviews
Semi structured interviews
Unstructured interviews
Participant observation 
Non participant
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is a questionnaire

A

A list of written questions that are completed by a number of respondents. They are normally posted or handed out for self completion

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

What are the two types of questions that are asked in questionnaires

A

Closed questions

Open questions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are closed questions

A

Often fixed choice and tick box

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are open questions

A

Questions you would ask if you wanted more in depth answers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

A

Reach to large numbers of people
Cheap
Standardised questions means you can compare findings
Provoke more truthful answers because they are anonymous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Disadvantage of questionnaires

A

Low response rate
People rush their answers
Cannot find peoples opinions if there is a lot of closed questions
Could get other people to fill it out for them (fraud)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are structured interviews

A

The researcher reads a list of questions out to the respondent in a particular order. They typically contain closed questions and so produce largely quantitative data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are unstructured interviews

A

Instead of having pre planned questions, the interviewer will just have some ideas and topics to cover. This should make the interview less formal & more like a conversation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are semi structured interviews

A

Somewhere in between a structured and unstructured interview. Meaning that the interviewer can have pre-set questions but also has the flexibility to follow up on interesting answers given by the respondent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are focus group interviews

A

Group interviews where respondents discuss something together, with the researcher present to listen, ask questions & make notes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Advantages of interviews

A

Respondents more likely to open up, if developed bond with researcher
Good response rate - people more likely to respond better to verbally asked questions
More depth from respondent allowing researcher to find out what they really think

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Disadvantages of interviews

A

Interviewer bias - may encourage interviewee to respond in certain way
Interviewees may try to please interviewer and say what they think the interviewer wants to hear - social desirability
Success of interview lies on interviewer - if they don’t do well the data produced may be inadequate

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

Different types of observation

A

Non participant
Participant
Covert
Overt

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

What is non participant observation

A

The researcher simply observes the group or event without taking part in it e.g. a two way mirror to observe children playing

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

What is participant observation

A

The researcher actually takes part in the everyday life of the group while observing it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Examples of uses of observation

A 
Training professionals
Lesson observation in school - Ofsted
Police interrogations 
Undercover police cases
Media - Journalism
Anthropological
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is overt observation

A

The researcher makes their true identity & purpose known to those being studied. The sociologist is open about what they are doing

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

What is covert observation

A

The study is carried out ‘undercover’. The researchers real identity and purpose is kept concealed from the group being studied. The researcher takes on a false identity and role, usually posing as a genuine member of the deviant or criminal group

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

Which type of data is obtained from observation

A

Qualitative

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

What are obstacles to ‘getting in’ to a group

A

A researcher’s age, gender, social class, ethnicity or personal appearance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Why is it a good idea to avoid taking leadership roles in participant observation

A

To not influence those you are observing and it also becomes difficult to get out

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is ethnography
The study of the way of life of a group of a group of people - their culture & the structure of their society
26
Advantages of overt observation
Avoids ethical problem by obtaining info by deceit Allows observer to ask naïve but important questions only an outsider can ask Observer can take notes openly Allows researcher to use interview methods to check insights from observations
27
Disadvantages of overt observation
Risks creating Hawthorne Effect. This undermines the validity of the data A group may refuse the researcher permission to observe them, or may prevent them from seeing anything
28
Advantages of covert observation
No risk of creating the Hawthorne Effect | Insight - best way to truly understand what something is like to experience it for ourselves
29
Disadvantages of covert observation
Immoral to deceive people May have to participate in immoral or illegal activities Researcher may have to lie about reasons to leave group Cannot combine observation with other methods e.g. interviews
30
Primary data sources
Questionnaires Interviews Observation
31
Secondary data sources
``` Official statistics The mass media Letters Diaries Photographs Studies from other sociologists ```
32
Sources of primary data
Questionnaires Interviews Observation
33
Sources of secondary data
``` Official statistics Diaries The mas media Letters Photos Studies from other sociologists ```
34
Why is quantitative data useful
You can look for trends and pattern in the graphs | Its easy and quick to analyse
35
Problem with quantitative data
Can lack detail
36
Why is qualitative data useful
Rich in detail and description and can be used to conduct an in depth analysis
37
Problems with qualitative data
Time consuming | Expensive to collect
38
Qualitative data sources
Interviews Questionnaires (open questions) Observation Focus group
39
Quantitative data sources
Surveys Questionnaires (closed questions) Graded questions
40
Why do sociologists use content analysis
To learn how issues are presented As a statistical method - involving numbers, to gain quantitative data To categorise behaviour To count the number of times such behaviour appears
41
What is content analysis
A study of the media. It is used to find out how a social group, event or issue is presented. This is done by preparing relevant categories and then going through the media and counting how many times each category appears.
42
Advantages of content analysis
Easy to conduct Possible to analyse a lot of information in a shorter time Lots of content available to analyse, more relevant info Cheap
43
Disadvantages of content analysis
Media can be biased Media can provide misleading information, The media can emit certain facts Success depends on the quality of the categories
44
What is a sample
The group of participants that make up your research
45
What is the population
The term given to everybody in the group to be studied
46
Why have a sample
Researchers rarely have time to study the whole population The entire population may not be willing to participate May not be able to access the whole population
47
How do you gain generalisability
Finding a sample that is representative of the population
48
Things to consider before sampling
Time Cost Access Topic of research
49
What is a sampling frame
A list of members from the population that are to be studied
50
Problems with sampling frames
Electoral role - doesn't identify everyone i.e illegal immigrants Phone directories - poor underrepresented - young people have mobiles and are not listed Club/organisation memberships - only pro-active represented
51
4 types of sample
Random sample Systematic sample Stratified sample Snowball sample
52
Advantages of random sample
Avoids bias - can't choose participants who support the hypothesis Gives everyone an equal chance Quick, takes little effort
53
Advantages of systematic sample
Quick | Avoids bias - can't choose participants who support the hypothesis
54
What is a systematic sample
Systematically selecting people from the sampling frame by choosing every nth
55
Disadvantages of random and systematic samples
May miss out certain types of people | Unrepresentative of the population
56
What is a stratified sample
The population is divided into separate strata in terms of characteristics e.g. age, gender, ethnicity A sample is then drawn up which reflects the characteristics of the entire population
57
Advantage of stratified sample
Most reliable results as it increases representativeness and therefore we can generalise
58
Disadvantage of stratified sample
Researcher must have a lot of information about the population
59
Advantage of snowball sample
Uses a network of like minded people to identify participants Can be used when the research population may not want to be identified
60
Disadvantage of snowball sample
Unlikely to produce a representative sample
61
Milgram experiment
People tend to follow authority without question
62
Triangulation
In order to check validity, sociologists will often carry out research using different methods i.e. interviews and observation

Sociology (5 decks)

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