Research Methods Key Terms

Question 1

Closed ended question

Answer 1

Single answer questions eg. Yes or no

Question 2

Comparative method

Answer 2

Carried out in the mind of the sociologist

Question 3

Content analysis

Answer 3

Dealing systematically with documents

Question 4

Control group

Answer 4

Group where variables are kept the same

Question 5

Correlation

Answer 5

A connection between 2 or more things

Question 6

Covert participant observation

Answer 6

A researcher takes part but participants are unaware of the study

Question 7

Public documents

Answer 7

Written text produced by organisations eg. Government, schools

Question 8

Personal/private documents

Answer 8

First person accounts of social events

Question 9

Ethics

Answer 9

Moral principles - if something is right or wrong

Question 10

Experiments

Answer 10

A set up environment to test a hypothesis

Question 11

Experimental groups

Answer 11

Group where variables are changed + tested

Question 12

Hawthorne effect

Answer 12

Participants change their behaviour as they know they’re being observed

Question 13

Hypothesis

Answer 13

Testable statement

Question 14

Informed consent

Answer 14

Participant knows all details of study and has agreed to take part

Question 15

Interpretivism

Answer 15

Value validity and qualitative data eg. Participant observations, unstructured interviews

Question 16

Interview schedule

Answer 16

Set of questions and interviewer follows

Question 17

Interview

Answer 17

A meeting of people face to face

Question 18

Longitudinal study

Answer 18

A study over a period of time to measure changes

Question 19

Non participant observation

Answer 19

Sociologist/researcher does not take part in the study

Question 20

Objectivity

Answer 20

Sociologist does not take into account their person opinions

Question 21

Open ended questions

Answer 21

Long answers that can differ each time, creating quantitative data

Question 22

Operationalisation

Answer 22

Defining variables into measurable factors

Question 23

Overt participant observation

Answer 23

Researcher takes part and their identity is known

Question 24

Participant observation

Answer 24

Researcher takes part in study

Question 25

Pilot study

Answer 25

Small scale preliminary study

Question 26

Positivism

Answer 26

Value reliability, representativeness and quantitative data eg. Structured interview, questionnaires

Question 27

Primary data

Answer 27

Data a sociologist has collected themselves

Question 28

Qualitative data

Answer 28

Provides in depth answers which give you an insight

Question 29

Quantitative data

Answer 29

Numerical that is easy to compare

Question 30

Questionnaire

Answer 30

A set of written questions with a choice of answers

Question 31

Reliability

Answer 31

Where it produces the same results each time - if it's repeatable

Question 32

Representativeness

Answer 32

If it's of a large enough scale to accurately reflect a population

Question 33

Case study

Answer 33

Detailed examination of a single situation/example. Eg school, family