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research methods Flashcards

1
Q

what are theories?

A

general explanation of how or why social life follows the patterns it does?

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2
Q

what is the difference between primary and secondary data collections?

A

primary - collected by researcher to use in the current study
secondary - data was collected for another purpose in another study

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3
Q

what is a strength of primary data collection?

A

data collection is designed to fit the aims of the study

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4
Q

what are some weakness’ of primary data collection?

A
  • lengthy
  • expensive
    e.g recruiting people, plans, carrying out etc.
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5
Q

what are some strengths of secondary data collection?

A
  • simpler
  • quicker
  • cheaper
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6
Q

what is a weakness of secondary data collection?

A

may not fit the exact study and it’s needs

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7
Q

what is a quantitative data?

A

numerical data

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8
Q

what are some strengths of quantitative data?

A
  • easy to analyse/draw statistical comparisons
  • less potential bias interpretation than qualitative
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9
Q

what is a weakness of quantitative data?

A
  • statistics do not provide reasons ‘why’ behaviour happens
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10
Q

what is qualitative data?

A

rich and detailed descriptions e.g with words or pictures

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11
Q

what is a strength of qualitative data?

A

shows the true nature of human behaviour

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12
Q

what are some weakness’ of qualitative data?

A
  • creates an opinion, which then must be interpreted, leaving room for potential bias from the researcher
  • often a smaller sample size
  • it is not objective, it is someone’s subjective opinion
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13
Q

what do positivists believe about research methods?

A

e.g marx and functionists
they believe sociology is a science, and that human behaviour is predictable. they said we can use statistics (and other quantitative methods) to show patterns of behaviours, such as cause and effect. this means that if re-tested, we should get the same results each time - reliability.
this is objective

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14
Q

what do interpretivists believe about research methods?

A

e.g social action theorists
humans are not a science, we have free will. we should use qualitative data, to emphasise (weber called this verstehen) with humans and see their point of view e.g through interviews and observations - this is validity.
this is subjective.

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15
Q

reliability definition

A

can you repeat the method and get the same results?

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16
Q

validity definition

A

is it accurate? True to real life? reasons to back up facts?

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17
Q

what does PETs stand for?

A

practical, ethical and theoretical issues sociologists may have to consider when choosing a method

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18
Q

(P et) time and money

A
  • different methods require different amounts of time and money
  • large-scale surveys may employ dozens of interviews and data-inputting staff and cost a great deal of money
  • small-scale project involving a lone researcher using participant observation may be cheaper to carry out, but could take several years to complete
  • access to resources can be a major factor in determining which methods
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19
Q

(P et) requirements of funding bodies

A
  • organisations that provide funding may require the results in a particular form
    = the sociologist will have to use a method capable of producing such data
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20
Q

(P et) personal skills

A
  • each sociologist possess different personal skills and this may affect their ability to use different methods e.g participant observation usually requires the ability to mix easily with others as well as good powers of observation and recall
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21
Q

(P et) subject matter

A
  • It maybe harder to study a particular group or subject by one method than by another
    e.g It might prove difficult for a male sociologist to study an all female group by means of participant observation
    e.g written questionnaires may be useless for studying someone who cannot read
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22
Q

(P et) research opportunity

A
  • opportunity to carry a research can occurs unexpectedly, this means that it may not be possible to use structured methods such as Questionnaires, which take longer to prepare
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23
Q

(p E t) informed consent

A
  • research participants should be offered the right to refuse
  • researcher should tell them about the relevant aspects of the research so that they can make a fully informed decision.
  • consent should be obtained before research begins
24
Q

(p E t) confidentiality and privacy

A
  • researchers should keep the identity of the research participants secret in order to help prevent possible negative effects on them
  • researchers should also respect the privacy of the research participants.
  • personal information to be kept confidential
25
(p E t) harm to participants
- researchers need to be aware of possible effects of their work on those they study and protect their participants from harm, both physical and psychological
26
(p E t) vulnerable groups
- special care should be taken where research Participants are vulnerable because of age, disability or physical/mental health
27
(p E t) covert research
- when researcher's identity and purpose is hidden from the people being studied. = this can create serious ethical problems, such as deceiving or lying to people in order to win their trust or obtain information. = however, some sociologists argue that the use of covert methods may be justified in certain situations
28
what is an aim?
a statement that identifies what a sociologists intends to study and hopes to achieve by carrying out the research
29
what is a hypothesis?
a testable statement based on theory or observation, a prediction of the relationship between 2 variables
30
what is a hypothesis?
a testable statement based on theory or observation, a prediction of the relationship between 2 variables, a prediction of the 'cause an effect'
31
what is a null hypothesis?
the counterpart to the experimental/alternative hypothesis. 'no difference' 'no change' if the null hypothesis can be rejected statistically, we can accept the experimental/alternative hypothesis
32
what is operationalised concepts?
the process in which sociologists define concepts and ideas in order to measure them
33
what is a pilot study?
mall scale trial that is carried out
34
what are the aims of a pilot study?
- to test method​ -to iron out any problems​ - make sure questions are precise and accurate​ - refine or clarify questions and their wordings ​ -to give the interviewers practice, so that the actual survey goes as smoothly as possible
35
give an example of a pilot study
Willmott and Young (1962) carried out 100 pilot interviews to help them decide on the design of the study, the questions to ask, and how to ask them
36
what is generalisation?
the process of extending a specific instance to a wider or universal set
37
what is stratified random sampling?
the method of sampling that involves dividing a population into smaller groups–called strata. The groups or strata are organised based on the shared characteristics or attributes of the members in the group
38
what is quota sampling?
a type of non-probability sample in which the researcher selects people according to some fixed standard
39
advantages of stratified random sampling?
- the sample is representative of the target population​ -used when the researcher wants to highlight a specific subgroup within the population -ensures the presence of the key subgroup within the sample
40
disadvantage of stratified random sampling?
can be very time consuming
41
advantage of random sampling?
generates the most representative sample, due to it reducing bias, as everyone has an equal chance of being selected
42
disadvantage of random sampling?
difficult, if not impossible, to obtain data from large population
43
explain self-selected sampling
involves participants selecting/ volunteering themselves, often in response to an advertisement for participants
44
advantage of self-selected sampling?
- quite easy to obtain and collect data - participants are less likely to withdraw if they have volunteered themselves
45
disadvantage of self-selected sampling?
- prone to bias response - only certain types of people may volunteer e.g those with much confidence e.g those in the same friendship group
46
explain opportunity sampling
involves the researcher selecting anyone who is available and willing to take part in the research
47
advantages of opportunity sampling?
- convenient, quite easy to do - less time consuming than the rest
48
disadvantages of opportunity sampling?
- produces a restricted and unrepresentative sample - makes generalisation quite difficult
49
explain snowball sampling
sampling that is used if your target population is very specific and difficult to recruit. you would ask someone who fits the requirements and criteria and then ask them to ask their friends, family or acquaintances to get in touch with the researcher themselves
50
advantages of snowball sampling?
- gives you access to people who fit the criteria who you may not have had access to otherwise
51
disadvantages of snowball sampling?
- produces a restricted, unrepresentative samples as the participants are more than likely to come from one area
52
advantages of systematic sampling?
- unbiased sample from a large group​ - simple​ - representative
53
disadvantages of systematic sampling?
- can make the sample biased e.g. ‘every 10th house’ ​might only be corner houses​
54
advantages of quota sampling?
- sample aims to be representative of the wider population​ - it allows the researchers to sample a subgroup that is of great interest to the study. - observe relationships between subgroups
55

sociology (8 decks)

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