research methods

Question 1

what are the positivist views?

Answer 1

influenced by natural sciences- people should be treated as objects whose behaviour can be directly observed

Question 2

what are patterns in positivism?

Answer 2

whole groups of people behave in very patterned or similar ways as a result of the social structure

Question 3

what are positivist trends?

Answer 3

trends in human behaviour can clearly be seen and catalogued, as human behaviour is very predictable

Question 4

what is objectivity/value free?

Answer 4

sociologist should be neutral and not allow their personal or political values or prejudices to bias any aspect of their research method or their interpretation of the data they collect

Question 5

what is quantitative data?

Answer 5

data including numbers- statistics, percentages etc. which is reliable

Question 6

what is qualitative data?

Answer 6

data in words- i.e.- feelings/emotions etc. which is valid

Question 7

define primary data

Answer 7

data which has been collected first hand, by the researcher such as an interview questionnaire or asking people to do surveys on the street

Question 8

what is secondary data?

Answer 8

data which has been collected from other sources e.g.- textbooks or the internet

Question 9

what is representativeness?

Answer 9

a representative sample includes people who have similar characteristics to the larger population being studied and is appropriate to the study

Question 10

define generalisability

Answer 10

the sociologist can conclude that what is true of the sample studied is true of the wider population

Question 11

what is validity?

Answer 11

refers to whether the research findings give a true picture of what is being studied; it should reflect the reality of the group/persons studied

Question 12

what is reliability?

Answer 12

if a research method used to test the hypothesis is reliable, it will be able to repeat the research and consistently obtain the same or similar results

Question 13

what is interpretivism?

Answer 13

weber objected the view that humans should be treated as objects, and states that humans are consciously active and can capably make their own decisions and know how to behave

Question 14

explain verstehen and empathy

Answer 14

interpretivist sociologists argue that if we want to explain social actions, we have to understand them in a way that the participants do, and see the world from their standpoint and we need to develop an empathetic understanding

Question 15

define researcher imposition

Answer 15

making their own decisions and assumptions as to what is important and what isn’t

Question 16

define rapport

Answer 16

establishing a close bond with someone which will increase the likelihood of validity and honesty of participants

Question 17

what’s operationalism?

Answer 17

breaking down the hypothesis or research into concrete things that can be measured or observed

Question 18

what are pilot studies?

Answer 18

a small research method carried out on a limited scale which allows researchers to get a clearer idea of what they want to find and how they can best find it out without the expense and effort of a full-fledged study

Question 19

define what longitudinal studies are

Answer 19

a longitudinal study follows the same sample over time and makes repeated observations. for example, they study the same group of people at regular intervals enabling researchers to track changes over time

Question 20

describe the opportunity sampling technique

Answer 20

consists of taking the sample from people who are available at the time the study is carried out and fit the criteria you are looking for

Question 21

what is stratified sampling?

Answer 21

involves classifying the target population into categories and then choosing a sample which consists of participants from each category in the same proportions as they are in the target population

Question 22

what is purposive sampling?

Answer 22

used when you need to gain knowledge about a particular aspect of society. participants are selected as they can provide information that can fit the purpose of the study.

it’s not random so not usually representative

Question 23

random sampling definition

Answer 23

participants are chosen randomly, so that everyone has an equal chance of being chosen in a sample

Question 24

what is the snowball sampling technique?

Answer 24

contacting people to get in contact with people they know, so that your sample is much larger

Question 25

define volunteer sampling?

Answer 25

participant volunteers select themselves usually in response to an advert

Question 26

what is ethnography?

Answer 26

writing about the way of life or culture of social groups. it involves the researcher inserting themselves into the natural setting of the social group being studied an participating in and observing daily activities qualitative research

Question 27

define content analysis

Answer 27

research to identify how particular social groups or situations are portrayed in the product being analysed. sociologists often use content analysis schedules to record how often something occurs quantitative data

Question 28

give two strengths of content analysis

Answer 28

1. quantitative content analysis is reliable- can be repeated using the same schedule 2. comparative methods- compare media reports and content over a period of time

Question 29

what are two weaknesses of content analysis?

Answer 29

1. very subjective- subjects largely depend on what the researcher interprets as important 2. very time consuming- media checked over a long period

Question 30

define researcher imposition

Answer 30

researchers may impose their own opinions on the people being researched rather than getting what they really believe (bias)

Question 31

what is covert?

Answer 31

covert=complete the researcher inserts themselves into a group and conceals the fact that they are doing research- they pretend to be an authentic member of the group

Question 32

define overt

Answer 32

overt is participating in a study and the participants are aware that you are joining the study to observe

Question 33

what is participant observation?

Answer 33

the sociologist immersing themselves in the lifestyle of the group being studied. it involves the researcher 'looking out in the inside' because they join in with activities and shares their experiences of social reality- ethnographic research

Question 34

what is non-participant research?

Answer 34

involves a researcher observing an activity such as a doctor-patient interaction. the researcher is detached and unobtrusive who plays no active role in the activity. this is usually structured which uses a coded schedule to direct what's being observed, and activity is only noted if it fits this schedule

Question 35

what are structured interviews?

Answer 35

questionnaires that are read out by the interviewer who then records the answers. the same questions are read out in the same order to all respondents and are the same questions for everyone

Question 36

two advantages of structured interviews?

Answer 36

1. the interviewer is in full control over the interview and therefore the interview is conducted quicker 2. ethical considerations are taken into account as the interviewer has time to explain the purpose so participants are not lied too

Question 37

what are two disadvantages of structured interviews?

Answer 37

1. they are inflexible as the questions are pre-set and therefore the interviewer cannot ask further questions 2. the interviewer may have a certain tone about their voice so will lead participants to lie- demand characteristics

Question 38

what are unstructured interviews?

Answer 38

more like everyday conversation, as they are informal and flexible and open ended. there are not usually set questions but there will be certain topics the researcher will want to cover

Question 39

two advantages of unstructured interviews?

Answer 39

1. highly valid qualitative data that gains verstehen- rapport with participant 2. it is flexible- not fixed to ask certain questions and can alter the direction of the interview if need be

Question 40

what are two disadvantages of unstructured interviews?

Answer 40

1. you cannot see patterns or trends from the data and it is difficult to analysis scientifically- unreliable 2. the research already has an idea of what they want to find out, so interpret the interview as supporting their ideas/ results may not be accurate

Question 41

what are semi-structured interviews?

Answer 41

each interview usually has the same set of questions but the interviewer can ask the respondents to expand and develop their answers

Question 42

what are two pro's of positivism?

Answer 42

1. relies on quantitative data- more reliable and scientific- trustworthy 2. well defined structure- minimum room for error and little room for variance and variable changes as set laws and rules

Question 43

give two weaknesses of positivism

Answer 43

1. human behaviour naturally comes with emotional responses, however there is no guarantee that this will occur at all times during the study 2. since positivists believe that everything can be measured, they end to be inflexible- this belief eliminates lateral thinking

Question 44

what are the disadvantages of interpretivism?

Answer 44

1. relies on qualitative methods- relies on measurements of things which cannot be numbered adequately- how someone feels when an event happens 2. primary data generated in interpretivist studies cannot be generalised since data is heavily impacted by personal viewpoint and values- therefore reliability and representativeness of data is undermined to a certain extent too

Question 45

describe two advantages of interpretivism

Answer 45

1. generate qualitative data of a high validly | 2. qualitative research areas can be studied in a great level of depth flexibly

Question 46

what is subjectivity?

Answer 46

the concept of subjectivity as it relates to data collection basically means that the researcher allows their values to intrude into the data collection process in a way that creates some form of bias

Question 47

what is positivism?

Answer 47

a particular set of assumptions about how society is structured and the appropriate ways of studying it