key research method concepts

Question 1

give 4 disadvantages of covert participant observation

Answer 1

-unethical due to a lack of consent
-not being able to naturally fit in or be accepted into the group
-hard to leave and having to partake in activities/behaviours you don’t agree with
-difficulty in recording data as partaking too

Question 2

give 4 advantages of covert participant observation

Answer 2

-reduced chance of hawthorne effect
-increased validity of results
-can uncover information hidden to the public eye
-primary in-depth data due to building relationships to find out information rather than asking questions overtly

Question 3

give 3 primary methods

Answer 3

social surveys, interviews, observations

Question 4

give 3 secondary methods

Answer 4

personal documents, official statistics, media content analysis

Question 5

give 3 quantitative methods

Answer 5

questionaires, official statistics, structured interviews

Question 6

give 3 qualitative methods

Answer 6

personal documents, unstructured interviews, participant observation

Question 7

give 2 methods which are quantitative & qualitative

Answer 7

non-participant and content analysis (media)

Question 8

triangulation

Answer 8

where sociologists use a combination of research methods (ideally qualitative and quantitative)

Question 9

objectivity

Answer 9

the extent to which research is free from personal bias or opinion.

Question 10

subjective research

Answer 10

research which is not free from personal bias or opinion and based off assumptions made