Ch. 2- Sociological Methods Flashcards
Text
anything, whether written or nonwritten, that is capable of carrying or conveying meaning.
Sample
a portion of a population selected to be the subjects of a particular research project; a macrocosm of the whole population
Interview
a method of research whereby subjects are asked questions; it can be formal (list of questions) or informal (a conversation or dialogue)
Infotainment
a genre of mass media that provides research results, information, and knowledge in the form of an entertaining media product (e.g. documentaries)
Representative sample
a sample that accurately represents the various attributes (e.g., race, religion, income, age, gender) found in the population
Random sample
a sample that is selected purely statistically (e.g. every 10th or 100th person in a population)
Snowball sample
a sample created by asking the first few interviewees for the names of other individuals who might fit the study, then asks those for names, and so on; heavily skewed towards a particular demographics
Survey
a method of research whereby information is gathered from a sample of a population about a specific list of variables and questions.
Opinion poll
a type of survey in which the members of a population sample are asked about their attitudes and beliefs on a wide range of issues.
Concept
a mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form; it might also be a category or classification, such as race, gender, or social class.
Variable
a concept whose value changes from case to case
Correlation
refers to the relationship between two variables whose values change together; does not imply causation
Independent variable
a variable that causes change in another factor.
Dependent variable
A variable that changes as a result of independent variables.
Social Theory
a framework based on empirical evidence that is used to organize concepts, and that explains why society or some aspect of society functions as it does.
Explanatory theory
A theory that has one or more causal hypotheses suggesting that a particular independent variable causes a particular effect on the dependent variable.
Interpretive sociology
sociology that bases its approach to the task of sociological explanation on the assumptions that social actions can be fully understood only by interpreting the motives and meanings that guide individuals’ actions.
Quantitative
research that relies on numerical or statistical data for calculating findings; typically used in cases where one is trying to apply a natural science model.
Qualitative
research typically used in cases where one is taking an interpretive approach; data are often textual including interview transcripts and ethnographic field notes..
Census
a social survey in which the questions are designed to gather information that is descriptive of an entire population.
Field research
research that is based on the observation of behavior rather than on the use of existing quantitative data.
Personal narrative
type of qualitative data in which an account of life events is given from the perspective of the narrator; e.g. autobiography, oral history
Positivism
an approach to research that follows the example of natural sciences in that it assumes sociology will employ methods that enable it to discover laws of social behavior
Relativism
approach to research that counters positivism by asserting that a particular social behavior may be understood differently if viewed from different perspectives or in different social contexts. behavior may vary depending on the perspective or setting.
