Topic 1: quantitative research methods

Question 1

what data do positivists prefer

Answer 1

numerical data

Question 2

what data do interpretivists prefer

Answer 2

qualitative data

Question 3

what type of study is the Hawthorne effect

Answer 3

behavioural study

Question 4

what is the expectancy effect

Answer 4

researchers expect behaviours from participants

Question 5

what is validity

Answer 5

is it true what you are measuring

Question 6

what do positivists believe

Answer 6

• positivists like science
• model research method on natural science
• produce objective, true scientific knowledge
• they like cause and effect

Question 7

what do interpretivists believe

Answer 7

• prefer qualitative data
• they like things that gives us a “feel” for what something is like
• they favour deeper meaning

Question 8

what are the key features of Lab experiments

Answer 8

control and cause and effect

Question 9

why is control a key feature of lab experiments

Answer 9

• lab experiments are in a controlled environment.
• lab is an artificial environment
• good to test hypothesis because you can change the variables
• subjects split into experimental (iv) and control group

Question 10

why is cause and effect a key feature of lab experiments

Answer 10

• the conditions of both groups are measured before and after.
• discover cause and effect relationships
• this allows us to predict future outcomes

Question 11

what do sociologists Keat and Urry suggest about open systems ? (practical issues)

Answer 11

lab experiments are only suitable for studying closed systems where the researchers control all the variables.

Question 12

why are lab experiments unsuitable for studying social phenomena? (practical issues)

Answer 12

because society is an open system with countless variables

Question 13

what is the practical issue of complexity

Answer 13

no two humans are alike, impossible to match experimental groups

Question 14

what is the practical issue of studying the past

Answer 14

lab experiments cannot be used to study the events in the past.
cannot keep people in lab experiments for a long time

Question 15

what type of samples can laboratory experiments study ? (practical issues)

Answer 15

can only study small samples e.g. impossible to study members of a major religion.

Question 16

disadvantage of small samples (practical issues)

Answer 16

small samples risk the appearance of variables just being a chance correlations

Question 17

what is the Hawthorn effect ? (practical issues)

Answer 17

1920s factory, subjects responding to the researcher rather than the variables

Question 18

what are expectancy effect (practical issues)

Answer 18

experimenter bias what the researcher expects to happen can affect the outcome

Question 19

what are the main ethical issues in conducting experiments on human beings

Answer 19

informed consent and harm subject

Question 20

what is informed consent (ethical issue)

Answer 20

participants should be informed of the nature of the experiments, however, this is self-defeating as they may act differently.

Question 21

what is harm to subjects (ethical issues)

Answer 21

some argue that minor harm can be justified to yield social benefits. if the experimental group are benefitting from treatment it should be given to the control group as well

Question 22

what theoretical strengths do positivists believe lab experiments have

Answer 22

• reliability, experimenter can control the conditions, produces quantitative data so steps can be re-run
• very detached method.
• effects the way to test the hypothesis and make predictions

Question 23

what theoretical limitations do positivist believe lab experiments have

Answer 23

• representativeness, lack external validity, due to only studying small samples and artificial conditions.
• internal validity, findings may not be true e.g. Hawthorne effect may produce invalid results
• interpretivists argue that humans are not robots have free will and can make their own choices

Question 24

how are field experiments different to lab experiments

Answer 24

• takes into place the subjects surrounding

- those involved not know that they are subjects

Question 25

strength of a field experiment

Answer 25

-avoids artificial conditions of lab experiments, much more nature and valid for life.

Question 26

limitations of field experiment

Answer 26

- less control over variable cannot be certain that we have identified the real cause

Question 27

examples of correspondence tests (field experiments)

Answer 27

Brown and Gay studied racial discrimination in the workplace, sent to 1000 applications from three ethnicities

Question 28

why are field experiments seen as unethical

Answer 28

involve carrying out an experiment on subjects without their knowing or consent

Question 29

what is the comparative method

Answer 29

-carried out only in the mind of the sociologist -"thought" . relies on re-analysing secondary data that has already been collected

Question 30

strength of the comparative method

Answer 30

artificiality: avoids artificial conditions past events: can be used to study the past ethics; avoids harming subjects

Question 31

limitation of comparative method

Answer 31

variables: less control over variables

Question 32

what are close-ended questionnaires

Answer 32

- "force choice" questionnaire - limited possible answers - pre coded for analysis

Question 33

what are open ended questionnaires

Answer 33

- free to answer how they choose to | - no pre-selected choices

Question 34

practical strengths of questionnaires

Answer 34

- time and costs: quick and way to gather large amounts of data. - no need for interviews. - easy to quantify results.

Question 35

practical limitations of questionaires

Answer 35

- validity- cannot be sure it was the respondent who completed the questionnaire - response rates: can be low may need follow up questionnaires - inflexible: cannot explore new areas of interest

Question 36

theoretical positivists strengths of using hypothesis testing?

Answer 36

- enables sociologists to identify cause and effect relationships. establish correlations the construct hypothesis - reliability: use of Q's identical to the original one. "standardised measuring instrument". can't be checked by another researcher - representativeness: large scale, cover wide geographical areas. use sophisticated sampling techniques

Question 37

theoretical interpretivists limitations of questionnaires-

Answer 37

- detachments must use methods that involve us closely with people we research to get a valid picture. . cannot clarify questions e.g., cultural differences - lying/forgotten: Schofield "are you a virgin" to "no not yet". try to second guess or give a respectable answer impossible to tell whether they are telling the truth.

Question 38

examples of statistics?

Answer 38

registration: births official survey: census/general house survey admin records: held by hospitals, courts and schools

Question 39

what type of method is statistics?

Answer 39

quantitative method

Question 40

what are the practical advantages of official statistics?

Answer 40

costs: free sources of huge data power: the state has the power to compel people to answer, reduces low response rate comparisons: compare social groups and religions trends: show patterns over time

Question 41

what are the practical disadvantages of official statistics?

Answer 41

Agender: government creates statistics for it's own purposes, also may be non available. Inaccuracy: two sets of data may cover different populations Definitions: may differ / change from those sociologists use

Question 42

what are the theoretical issues that positivists have with official statistics?

Answer 42

representativeness: large scale and often cover the whole populations, great care is taken from sampling selections e.g. crime survey 38,000 however, census coders may make errors or public may not fill in form correctly.

Question 43

what are the theoretical issues that positivists have with official statistics?

Answer 43

social constructs: statistics are not real, represent labels attached to people. soft statistics: admin records, less valid as they represent decisions e.g. schools decision of what truancy is. hard statistics: more valid, little dispute how categorises are defined and legal requirements