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sociology > research methods > Flashcards

research methods Flashcards

1
Q

quantitative data methods

A

official statistics, questionnaire, surveys

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2
Q

qualitative data methods

A

observations, diaries, personal documents, case studies, ethnography, focus group

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3
Q

The big 4

A

Validity, reliable, representativeness, generalisability

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4
Q

validity

A

if research gives a true insight of what is being studied

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5
Q

reliable

A

if the data is replicable

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6
Q

representativeness

A

the groups characteristics are representative to the population being studied

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7
Q

generalisability

A

you are able to make wider claims about the population based on studying a smaller sample

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8
Q

strengths of questionnaires

A

cheap, quick, large sample, quantitative data, easy to avoid emotional harm, anonymous. reliable

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9
Q

weaknesses of questionnaires

A

low validity, low response rate, answers may be biased, no room to expand or for support, high dropout rate

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10
Q

what are ethics

A

moral principles that govern human behaviour or the conducting of an activity.

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11
Q

what is operationalisation

A

the process of defining a concept so that it’s measurable

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12
Q

what is rapport

A

the ability to relate to others to create a level of trust and understanding

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13
Q

what is verstehen

A

empathetic understanding of human behaviour

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14
Q

what is reflexivity

A

an awareness that values will always affect research findings and validity. This could be through respondent validation

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15
Q

what are ethics government by in sociology and what do they cover

A

the British sociological Association and cover issues such as confidentiality, protection from harm and informed consent

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16
Q

Structured interviews

A

Interviews using closed questions using ticks on pre set categories.
A:quantitative data, quick, easy, large sample
D:not appropriate for sensitive issues, low in validity

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17
Q

Semi Strcutred interviews

A

A mix of mainly closed and some open questions
A: flexible allows for a rapport, increased verstehen and validity
D: hard for large sample or for comparing data

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18
Q

Unstructured interviews

A

informal interview as a guided convo
A:qualitative data, high verstehen and validity
D: hard on large sample or if quantified data needed

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19
Q

focus group

A

People getting together to discuss an issue
A: qualitative data, range of opinions to be discussed
D: takes long time, unsuitable for sensitive issues

20
Q

positivism

A

prefers quantitative data as easier to analyse and compare
prefers objective data in controlled conditions to ensure neutrality and reliability of results

21
Q

interpretivism

A

prefers qualitative data as provides reasons for behaviour to understanding social groups
wants high verstehen and rapport where the researcher can have a relationship to develop understanding of interactions

22
Q

hawthorne effect

A

the participants will behave differently if they know they are being observed which decreases validity

23
Q

demand characteristics

A

participants change their behaviour based on their interpretation of the aims of the study decreasing validity

24
Q

social desirability bias

A

participants change their behaviour to act in a socially acceptable way decreasing validity

25
Q

going native

A

the researcher begins to participate like any other group member and may miss out important info, or loose perspective

26
Q

researcher bias

A

the researchers beliefs influence the research design or data collection process, reducing the accuracy of the research

27
Q

confirmation bias

A

tendency to seach for info in a way that confirms ones beliefs, misinterpreting the data so not getting a true insight to participants opinions

28
Q

interpretation bias

A

info processing bias where the researcher interprets data in a way the participant did not intend, decreasing validity

29
Q

rapport

A

ease of relationship between the researcher and their subjects, bad rapport may mean the participant doesnt feel comfortable sharing opinions, good rapport may mean there is a loss of objectivity

30
Q

practical issues of social research

A

time
cost
subject matter
social characteristics of researcher and those being researched
access

31
Q

what is operationalising and why is it needed

A

to define a concept so you can accurately measure it
it ensures validity so the researcher and respondents share the same understanding of what concepts and key terms actually mean

32
Q

what is a gatekeeper

A

a person who has contact with a relevant or appropriate set of individuals

33
Q

what is a random sample

A

every member of the research population has an equal chance of being included in the sample
avoids researcher bias but could lack representativeness

34
Q

what is a non random sample

A

deliberately targeting specific groups rather than randomly selecting a sample from the general population
e.g quota sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling

35
Q

systematic sampling

A

randomly choosing a number between 1-10 and picking every nth number to avoid researcher bias, but may not guarentee representative sample

36
Q

stratified sampling

A

dividing the research population into groups then into sub groups and selecting participants from each
ensures each group is represented but time consuming

37
Q

quota sampling

A

the researcher goes out and finds people in each category until the quota is full
more representative but may be affected by researcher bias

38
Q

snowball sampling

A

one contact will recruit others to get involved in the research
good for hard to access groups and allows large sample but reduced representativeness

39
Q

opportunity sampling

A

researchers choose individuals that fit the nature of the research
easy and goof if specific type of person needed but biased

40
Q

volunteer sampling

A

an advert is placed and people put themselves forward to take part in research
easy and quick but reduced representativeness

41
Q

three issues with research methods

A

theoretical
ethical
practical

42
Q

core ethical guidelines

A

confidentiality
privacy
anonymity
right to withdraw
avoiding harm
informed consent
ensuring legality
.

43
Q

triangulation

A

design to improve research by cross checking validity by using more than one method

44
Q

reflexivity

A

keeping track of the strengths and weaknesses of the research to evaluate their work and improve validity

45
Q

respondant validation

A

technique to check the results from participants viewpoint by returning results to check it accurately reflects their experiences/views.

46
Q

methological pluralism/ mixed methods

A

methods are combined to provide a fuller and more detailed, comprehensive picture of the topic
(combines both qualitative and quantitative methods)

47
Q
A

sociology (13 decks)

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