Methods Flashcards
Primary research
Data that you have to collect yourself
e.g interviews, questionnaires, observation
Secondary data
Data that is already collected by others
e.g Official statistics, social media, diaries, personal documents
Quantitative data
Using tools to measure
Data that is in numerical form
Can be put in graphs and charts
Qualitative data
Word based data
More interpreting
Aim
Researcher trying to find out from conducting an investigation
Hypothesis
Test with research
Positivists
They believe sociology is a science
Objective
Want to discover the social facts
Focused on cause and effect
Quantitative data
Patterns and trends
Reliability
Representative
Test hypothesis
Interpretivists
Rejects sociology is a science
Subjective
Verstehen
Meanings and motives
Rapport
Validity
Qualitative
What are some methods that positivists favour and what interpretivists will favour
Positivists - Questionnaires, official statistics, lab experiments, structured interviews
Interpretivists - Participant observation (overt, covert), unstructured interviews, field experiments, personal documents
Rapport meaning
Building a positive relationship between researcher and participant
P
E
R
V
E
R
T
Practical - logistical considerations like researcher’s time, cost, access
Ethical - Right and wrong (morality)
Reliable - Can it be repeated to get the same results
Validity - How true a picture it gives us
Example - Example of methods used by sociologist
Representative - If it represents the population you’re studying accurately
Theoretical - Positivists or interpretivists, quantitative or qualitative
Humphreys - Tearoom Trade Study
In 1960
Studied about men having sex with other men in public restrooms
Recorded 100 got their license plates and addresses
Visited 50 a year later
Gained info about their marital status, sexuality, occupations
Illegal in USA at the time –> could’ve been arrested
Study that used questionaires
Willmot and Young - “The Symmetrical Family”
Study that used unstructured interviews
Dobash and Dobash - Violence against wives
Study that used Covert participant observation
Patrick - A Glasgow gang observed
Study that used Overt participate observation
Venkatesh - Gang leader for a day
Study that used Field experiment
Rosenthal and Jacobson - Pygmalion in the classroom
Study that used Official stats
