research methods Flashcards
1
Q
field experiments adv
A
- popular with interpretivists, interested in meaning
- Easy to determine + manipulate cases and events
- repeatable for other researchers
- Enables comparison with similar research
2
Q
field exp weaknesses
A
- Participants mislead researches
- if overt, Hawthorne effect
- small scale settings used large scale issues
3
Q
open questionnaire - adv
A
- responds own words which improves validity
- imposition problem found in closed questionnaires is less of an issue
- more detailed and deeper answers, includes feelings and attitudes
- Open ended questions do not allow respondents to speed read or avoid reading the questionnaire
4
Q
open questionnaire - weakness
A
- broad range of answers, hard to classify and qualify the data into graphs and charts
- difficult to compare results with similar research methods
- response rate can be lower
- time consuming.
5
Q
closed questionnaire - adv
A
- cheap
- easy to compare with other researchers
- closed questions are customer friendly and easily quantified
6
Q
closed questionnaire, weaknesses
A
- may get lower response rate
- inflexible, set questions
- question design isn’t easy
- interpretivists don’t like as questions and fixed responses reflect what sociologists
- closed questions don’t allow people to speak for themselves
7
Q
structured interviews - Advantages
A
- high response rate
- people are more likely to give honest responses
- compared with semi-structured or unstructured interviews, they can be more reliable as the same interview can be repeated
8
Q
structured interview, disadv
A
- less valid
- the interviewer has to persist with a particular line of questioning even if the interviewee has other interesting things to say
9
Q
unstructured interviews - adv
A
- produce qualitative data that is thought to offer verstehen and be high in validity
- interviewers are able to offer their subjects support and exercise sensitivity
- method favoured by feminists conducting research on sensitive subjects, such as Dobash and Dobash’s work on domestic violence
10
Q
disadvantages of unstructured interviews
A
- time consuming and require a skilled interviewer
- produce large amounts of feels which is difficult to analyse
- positivist sociologists would be concerned that the method lacks reliability and is unscientific and subjective
11
Q
Participant observation
A
- covert, hides identity
- overt, reveals identity to the group
- covert participant observation doesn’t deal with Hawthorne effect, where as overt does.
12
Q
Participant Observation adv.
A
- insight, bias
- validity, produces qualitative data which shows picture of how people really live, researcher can see for themselves
- flexibility - more flexible and allows an open mind
- practical advantages, access to more suspicious groups as can gain trust - helpful when studying gangs
- Avoid Hawthorne effect
13
Q
Non participant observation - adv.
A
- allows researcher to see what happens with an open eye
- more open minded
- more ethical if done overtly
14
Q
non participant observation - disadv.
A
- Hawthorne effect
- impression management
- harder to get accurate results
- time consuming
15
Q
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)
A
- elementary school in California supports self fulfilling prophecy
- selected random students - 209 labelled as exceptional
- tested all students at the beginning of experiment for IQ and again after a year, found out that the randomly selected “spurter” group gained more IQ than the other 809, who were labelled as ‘average’
- Rosenthal and Jacobson speculated that teachers had passed on their higher expectations to students which had produced a self fulfilling prophecy.
16
Q
quota sampling
A
- to interview people who fit the certain categories
- Used in market research, e.g field researches are told to stop and survey 100 women
17
Q
Multistage sampling
A
- researcher selects a sample by using combos of different sampling methods
- i.e, stage 1, a researcher might use systematic sampling, stage 2, they might use random sampling to select a subject for final sample
18
Q
Snowball sampling
A
- researches find a few participants, ask them to find participants themselves- useful when sample harder to obtain
- i.e, Taylor used method when investigating criminals, didn’t know many criminals but had criminals ask other criminals.
19
Q
theory and methods
A
- modernity refers to a particular era in human history, it is an era characterised by scientific thought individualism, a focus on industrialisation and technical development and a rejection of some traditional values.
20
Q
consensus and conflict theories
A
- consensus theory assumes society is primarily harmonious and social order is maintained by agreement (consensus) between people on goals and values
- Conflict theory - sees society as a conflict, hidden and unstable which emphasis social differences and conflict.
21
Q
determinism and choice
A
- Determinism is the extent to which individuals have control or are they victims of social forces
- structuralism - determined
- social action or interpretivist - free will
- integrated approach - combine structure and social action approaches.
22
Q
Structuralism
A
- macro theory surface level view, structured society, human behaviour understood in context of the social system.
- people ae not just independent actors, they are products of the social conditions in which they live
- Personality and values structured by social forces
23
Q
Functionalism - strengths
A
- proves a good explanation of the working of society
- recognises the importance of social structure in understanding society
- provides an explanation for social order and why most people comform
24
Q
functionalism - weaknesses
A
- action theorists see it as too deterministic
- Meta narrative, tries to explain everything from their perspective
- struggle to explain social change
- over-emphasises the benefits of institutions
- takes for granted there is value consensus in society
- tends to be conservative supporting the status quo.
25
classified Marxism - strengths
- recognizes importance of economy
- we recognize the social inequalities that Marxists discuss
- remains a highly influential theory
26
Classified Marxism - weaknesses
- Marx's predictions didn't come true
- Over emphasises the extent of conflict in society
- Marx's two class model of society is inadequate
- too deterministic
- Meta narrative that is simplistic
27
Social action or interpretivist theories
- society and institution are social constructions
- free will and choice
- Research on small groups or individuals - micro
- people's behaviour driven by beliefs, meanings etc
- interpretivist - qualitative approach
28
Positivists and research methods
Positivists- just as there are cause of things in natural words, there are external social forces, making up a society's social structure that cause or mould people's ideas and actions
Durkheim called these external forces social facts, entities which exist outside individuals and independently of their minds but act upon them in ways which constrain their behaviour.
Durkheim- the aim of sociology to study social facts and they could be observed ad measured quantitively in numbers/statistics
