DJs Primary Research Methods Flashcards
EXPERIMENTS:
What are lab experiments?
-Lab experiments involve the scientist manipulating the variables in which they are interested, in order to discover what affect, they have. By following this method, the scientist can discover a cause-and-effect relationship and observe behaviour patterns to stay-change. This will allow the scientist to predict accurately what will happen in the future under specified conditions.
List the advantages of lab experiments?
Reliable
Theoretical (positivists)
Explain how Lab experiments are reliable:
-Lab experiments are considered to be completely reliable because once they have been conducted, other researchers can replicate it following exactly the same steps, obtaining the same results.
Explain why positivists see the objective nature of lab experiments as an advantage:
Positivists believe that lab experiments are a very detached method of research because the scientist merely alters the variables and records the results. The scientists personal opinions and feelings have no influence on the conduct of the outcome of the experiment. Therefore, positivists, who see sociology as a science, like this method as they seen it as being an objective way to conduct research modelled on scientific methodology.
What are the disadvantages of using lab experiments?
-practicality
-Validity
Explain how lab experiments can be seen as lacking practicality:
-Limited Control Over Variables: social behaviour is influenced by many interconnected and unpredictable variables. It would be impossible to identify, let alone control all the variables that might impact on behaviour in a lab experiment. For example, emotions, past experiences, social norms, group dynamics, and cultural contexts are variables that are difficult to control because individuals in a lab experiment may act differently from how they would in real-world situations. This makes it difficult to replicate the same conditions or measure all the relevant factors in a lab experiment.
Explain how lab experiments can be seen as producing invalid results:
-Many sociologists have doubts about using lab experiments in human social research as they see them as artificial environments producing artificial results. A laboratory is not a normal or natural environment, lacking specific contexts, and therefore it is unlikely that behaviour in these conditions is true to life and valid. Furthermore, if people are aware they are being researched, they may consciously or sub-consciously change their typical behaviour. This is known as the Hawthorn Effect, and will lead to invalid results.
Explain how questionnaires are reliable:
-Questionnaires can be seen as reliable as they are a standardised method that can be used by any researcher. All respondents are asked exactly the same questions, in the same order, with the same options for answers. Therefore the research can be easily repeated, checked and compared by another sociologist. Furthermore, as the questions are the same between questionnaires, varied answers can be viewed as legitimate differences between respondents and not simply the result of different questions, or how they have been asked. This means reliable conclusions can be made about the results of the research.
Criticism: standardised questions may be interpreted differently by different people, meaning some responses may be misinterpreted. This could compromise the validity of the data.
Explain how questionnaires are representative:
-Questionnaires stand a better chance of producing representative data compared to other research methods, because they can collect data from a large number of participants. Questionnaires can be distributed to many different people through different ways, such as online surveys, paper forms, or face-to-face interviews. This means there are less factors (e.g. geographical location) limiting who the sociologist can research. This allows sociologists to generalise their findings, as they can reach a wide range of participants that will most likely reflect the wider population.
Explain how Questionnaires can be unrepresentative:
-Questionnaires can be unrepresentative due to low response rates, especially from postal and online questionnaires. An example of this is in 1991, when Shere Hite sent out 100,000 questionnaires in the US, for the study on ‘love, passion and emotional violence’, and only 4.5% were returned. If the respondents are different to the non-respondents in terms of how they would have answered the questions, then the data collected will be distorted and unrepresentative, from which no generalisations can be made.
Criticism: However, a higher response rate can be obtained if follow up questionnaires are sent. or they are collected by hand. Therefore, initial low response rates does not necessarily mean the results will be unrepresentative.
Explain how questionnaires can produce invalid data:
~Interpretivists argue that data from questionnaires lacs validity and dos not give a true picture of what has been studied as they do not allow the sociologist to get close to the subjects they are studying and share their meanings. This is because questionnaires are the most detached method of all methods - with online and postal questionnaires involving no direct contact between the researcher and the researched. This means that there is no way to clarify what the questions mean or to deal with misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This can reduce the validity of the data obtained as the respondent may fill out the questionnaire in relation to how they perceived the questions, rather than the real meaning of them.
Explain how Questionnaires can produce valid data:
Questionnaires can be seen as one of the best methods of collecting valid data due to the detached nature. Particularly with postal and online questionnaires, the researchers involvement is kept to a minimum. This can increase the chances of obtaining valid data as the respondent may be less inclined to give ‘respectable’ answers they feel they ought to give, in comparison in a face-to-face situation like an unstructured interview. Furthermore, the respondent may be less inclined to lie whilst answering the questions if they are reassured by the fact they will never meet the researcher in real life.
Criticism: Full validity may not be guaranteed as many may not be willing to provide full and accurate answers, possibly rushing the questionnaire or being dishonest. This can mean the results collected at the end of the research may be distorted.
Explain how Questionnaires are a practical method of research:
-Questionnaires are a quick and cheap means of gathering large amounts of data from a large sample, geographically dispersed - particularly if conducted online or by post. Furthermore, respondents complete and return the questionnaires themselves, therefore there is no need to recruit and train interviewers or observers to collect the data. The data sent back can then be processed by a computer to identify relationships between variables, also adding to its practicality.
Explain how questionnaires may not be a practical method of research:
-One practical issue is that the data obtained from questionnaires tends to be limited and superficial. This is because questions tend to be brief to ensure that the respondents complete and return them. This limits the amount of information that can be gathered. Furthermore, Postal and online questionnaires can lack practicality as it is not guaranteed that the respondent will actually receive the questionnaire, or that a returned questionnaire has been completed by the person it was addressed to.
