Objective 2: Sociological Methods

Question 1

Informed Consent

Answer 1

Permission from participants to take part in a research study after they have received details about it, obtained prior to their involvement in the study.

Question 2

Reactivity

Answer 2

People under observation changing their usual or typical behaviour because they know that they are being observed.

Question 3

Census

Answer 3

A recurring and official count of a particular population, used to systematically gather and record information about the members of the population.

Question 4

Sample

Answer 4

A subset of the population of interest in a study, in which the number of participants is reduced to a manageable size.

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

The complete group of units to which the results of the study are to be generalized. Units can be anything from individuals, animals, or objects to businesses or websites.

Question 6

Standpoint Theory

Answer 6

The theory that individuals view society from different social locations depending on their past experiences and their status and position.

Question 7

Triangulation

Answer 7

A technique used by researchers to determine validity in their studies by gathering data from multiple sources.

Question 8

Saturation

Answer 8

A method used to confirm that sufficient and valuable data have been collected to support the findings of a study.

Question 9

Statistics

Answer 9

A branch of mathematics concerned with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and representation of numerical data.

Question 10

Validity

Answer 10

The extent to which findings are an accurate reflection of the social.

Question 11

Reliability

Answer 11

The degree to which findings can be replicated. In qualitative work, reliability is often expressed in terms of trustworthiness and authenticity.

Question 12

Correlation

Answer 12

A statistical technique that assesses how strongly pairs of variables are linearly associated and whether the association is positive or negative.

Question 13

Research Design

Answer 13

The blueprint of the study, which includes the study type, research question, hypotheses, variables, data collection methods, and statistical analysis plan.

Question 14

Social Research Methods

Answer 14

The use of a wide range of methods and approaches to learn more about the social world following a plan or research design.

Question 15

Computational Social Sciences

Answer 15

The use of approaches such as machine learning to collect and analyze research data with unprecedented, breadth, depth, and scale.

Question 16

Bias

Answer 16

Any opinion, characteristic, or attitude of a researcher that can influence any part of the research process, such as interpretation of the data.

Question 17

What are the 5 main goals of social research methods?

Answer 17

1. Enumeration and description.
2. Prediction
3. Explanation
4. Debunking
5. Social Justice

Question 18

What are the benefits of interviews over surveys?

Answer 18

• Allow participants to provide opinions in their own words, unlike surveys
• An ideal data collection method in projects that seeks to understand a social group, garner info about peoples opinions and attitudes, and uncover meaning and relevance.

Question 19

Which theoretical approach(es) take the background, status, and roll of the researcher into account as part of their methodology?

Answer 19

• Conflict theory
• Researchers don’t take the rule for granted, but rather critically reflect and question their own role in the research process.

Question 20

What is the difference between participant observation and PAR?

Answer 20

• Participant observation: the researcher observes an individual, a group, or a community, in order to understand and become familiar with their customs and practises.
• Participatory Action Research (PAR): the participants become collaborators in the research.

Question 21

What are the downsides of secondary data analysis?

Answer 21

• Takes time to become familiar with the data set.
• Data is pre-established.
• No additional data can be added.
• It is difficult to establish the quality of data.

Question 22

What kind of studies require approval of a research ethics board (REB)?

Answer 22

All studies undertaken at institutions of higher education, including those that are part of a class exercise, need to be reviewed by an REB