Intro and PET issues Flashcards
What are some examples of practical issues to do with a researchers characteristics?
Gender. Age. Ethnicity. Class
What are practical considerations?
Time. Access. Cost. Researchers characteristics
What are some ethical issues?
Harm. Anonymity. Consent. Honest reporting and finding.
What are the theoretical issues?
Positivism- Quantative Interpretist - Qualative (verstehen.)
What are the two types of evidence used in research?
Primary and Secondary data.
What are 3 examples of primary data?
Social Surveys, Participant observation and experiments
What are 2 examples of secondary data?
Official statistics and documents
What’s Quantative data?
Numerical form
Whags qualative data?
Can’t be quantified, much more in depth.
What does validity mean?
A method which is one that presents a true or accurate picture of what something is truly like. Many sociologists argue that this is qualative methods as they allow you to see what it is like to be a member of that group
What does reliability mean?
Another word is replicability. A reliable method is a a method that can be repeated by Another researcher and get the same result such as in science.
What does representatives mean?
Whether or not the people in the study are a typical cross section of the whole group we are interested in.
What are positivists?
These like methods which are scientific, reliable and quantative
What are two examples of theories that are positivist?
Functionalist and Marxists
What are interpreteists?
These like methods which allow for indpeth detailed research, they like qualative and valid data.
What are 2 examples of Interpretist theories?
Marxists and some feminists
How could we ensure that research could be supported by both positivits and interpretists?
By using semi structured interviews or triangulation using multiple methods which are both qualative and Quantative
What are 4 factors that could effect a sociologists researxh?
- Their perspective. 2. Society’s values. 3. Practical factors eg state crimes wouldn’t be easy to research 4. Funding bodies
What is operationalising a concept referring too?
Taking an abstract idea such as social class or cultural capital and turning it into something measurable
What is a polit study?
Some researchers carry out a pilot study before the real one to iron out any issues and correct any mistakes. This costs money hurt can prevent issues with the later credibility and validity of the study at a later date.
