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primary research methods Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

lab experiments strengths - theoretical

A

highly reliable
experimenter can control the conditions and specify the steps used to others can replicate the study

produces quantitative data so can be easily compared

lacks extrnal validity

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2
Q

lab experiments limitations - theoretical

A

lack internal validity
findings may not represent behaviour in the world

the artificiality may encourage the Hawthorne effect - where the subjects react to being studies = invalid results

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3
Q

lab experiments - practical limitations

A

individuals are complex so its difficult to exactly match the control and experimental group

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4
Q

lab experiments - ethical limitations

A

informed consent
researcher needs to gain participants agreement to take part - having first explained to them the purpose of experiment
can be self-defeating as if they know purpose may act differently

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5
Q

lab experiment key features AO1 - control

A

controlled experiment in an artificial environment where variables can be controlled

experimenter takes a set of identical subjects and divides them into 2 groups
experimental - are exposed to independent variable
control group - aren’t exposed

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6
Q

lab experiment key features AO1 - cause and effect

A

the condition in both groups is measure before and after the experiment to identify whether independent variable had an effect

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7
Q

lab experiment 2 key features AO1

A

control

cause and effect

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8
Q

lab experiments limitations - ethical

A

issues of consent
they involve carrying out an experiment on subjects without their knowledge or consent

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9
Q

field experiment key features AO1

A

takes place in the subjects natural surrounding

those involved don’t know they’re being studied

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10
Q

field experiment strengths - theoretical

A

less artificial than lab experiments

they have more ecological validity

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11
Q

field experiment limitations - theoretical

A

less control over variables, so not as scientific and cannot be sure we’ve identified true cause

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12
Q

field experiments limitations - ethical

A

do not gain consent of those involved as this would change behaviour

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13
Q

structured interviews Ao1

A

each interview conducted in same standardised way
close ended questions
produce quantitative data
questions read out and answers recorded by trained interviewer

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14
Q

structured interviews strengths - theoretical

A

reliable because they use a fixed set of questions so it can be easily repeated by another interviewer

positivists like
get quantitative data = easy to compare

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15
Q

structured interviews strength - practical

A

relatively quick and cheap to conduct = interviewer can get a large sample

suitable for gathering straight forward information

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16
Q

structured interviews weakness - practical

A

employing interviewers incurs a cost

not useful for many situations (e.g sensitive subjective topics) -

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17
Q

structured interview weakness - ethical

A

not useful for many situations (e.g sensitive subjective topics) - PRACTICAL AND ETHICAL

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18
Q

structured interview weakness - theoretical

A

use close ended questions - forces interview to choose from a set of answers
if none of them fit it all affect the validity

preset questions give the interviewer no opportunity to follow up questions and gain a b better understanding - interpretivists:(

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19
Q

unstructured interviews

A

ask open-ended questions - no fixed set of questions
qualitative data - interpretivists :)
free flowing so similar to a natural conversation

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20
Q

unstructured interviews strengths - theoretical

A

feminist Oakley
takes woman’s side and aims to give a voice to their experience and to free them form patriarchal oppression
as they’re more involved in their lives and experience - not detached

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21
Q

unstructured interview strengths - practical

A

the informality allows interviewer to develop a relationship - helps put interviewee at ease and encourage them to open up

unstructured = makes it easier to clarify answers and meanings
flexible = can explore what interviewer finds interesting

22
Q

unstructured interviews weaknesses - theoretical

A

positivists
not reliable
its not a standardised measuring instrument as each interviewer is unique
impossible for another researcher to replicate

23
Q

grounded theory

A

we would build and develop our hypothesis during the actual research based on the facts we discover

unstructured interviews are ideal for this as they allow us to ask any questions

24
Q

unstructured interview weakness - practical

A

employing interviewers can be expensive - have to have. background in sociology so they known when they’ve made a sociological point

too much data - makes analysis hard
take a long time

25
Q

questionnaires Ao1

A

can be:
closed-ended
open-ended

26
Q

questionnaires strengths - practical

A

relatively cheap to gather large mounts of information , don’t need to recruit and train interviewers

relatively quick to conduct compared to interviews

27
Q

questionnaires strengths - theoretical

A

easy to gain geographically widespread data
= increased representability and findings can be generalised to wider population

positivists - questionnaires allow us to identify cause and effect

easy to replicate - and for other researchers to gain same results

28
Q

questionnaires limitations - theoretical

A

interpetivists reject questionnaires as they can’t gain valid data
we need to use methods that involve us closely with the people so we can gain the meaning of their actions

lack f contact = can’t clarify what the questions mean or their answers

29
Q

questionnaires weakness - ethical

A

no way of stopping research if someone is upset or want to withdraw

30
Q

questionnaires weakness - practical

A

questions may be misunderstood

low response rates are an issue

data is limited and brief as people are unlikely to fill out a long survey

31
Q

how do you improve questionnaire response rate

A

offer incentives e.g chance to win a free trip
AO3 answers may not be representative

32
Q

what type of data do observations providee

A

qualitative data - interpretivists :)

33
Q

participant observation AO1

A

can see what people would actually do in a situation

researcher takes part in the group whilst observing it

interpretivists favour it as a way of gaining insight into the actors’ meanings

34
Q

participant observation strength - practical

A

gives insight into their lives by putting ourselves in their place
interpetivists like as its verstehen

can be the only method for accessing and studying certain groups e.g deviant gangs will be suspicious of outsiders

35
Q

participant observation weakness - practical

A

fieldwork is very time-consuming and produces a large about of qualitative data which is hard to analyse

researcher needs to be trained to know what they’re looking for

36
Q

participant observation strength - theoretical

A

interpretivists
produces valid data as they experience their lives first hand and get close to understand their meanings

37
Q

participant observation limitation - theoretical

A

positivists
unrepresentative of the wider population
the group studied is usually very small

unreliable and unscientific
can’t be replicated

38
Q

participant observation limitation - ethical

A

difficult to ensure anonymity

39
Q

nonparticipant observation AO1

A

the researcher observes the group but doesn’t take part

40
Q

non participant observations advantages - practical

A

there is limited risk of the researcher ‘going native’ and over-identifying, getting involved

41
Q

non participant observations disadvantages - theoretical

A

Each observation will be subjective, and therefore the results cannot be repeated

They generally use a small-scale research sample = unrepresentative - can’t be generalised to wider population

42
Q

overt observations (know you’re being watched) advantages - ethical

A

Less ethical issues than covert because the participants know they’re being researched = can get consent

43
Q

overt observations (know you’re being watched) advantages - theoretical

A

Higher level of reliability than covert

Allows researcher to use interview methods too = greater validity and types of data -

44
Q

overt observations (know you’re being watched) advantages - practical

A

Allows researcher to use interview methods too = greater validity and types of data - PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL

45
Q

overt observations disadvantages - theoretical

A

Hawthorne effect - can effect the validity

difficult to repeat

usually a small sample size so can’t be generalised = unrepresentative

46
Q

overt observations disadvantages - practical

A

they can be relatively time consuming

47
Q

covert observations advantages

A

there is no Hawthorne effect

find out more in-depth detail

48
Q

covert observations disadvantages - ethical

A

ethical issues - its immoral to deceive people -

can’t get consent

49
Q

participant observation - getting in

A

making initial contact with the group may depend on factors such as personal skill, connection or chance

then the researcher has to overcome the groups suspicion and win their trust - age, gender, class can be an obstacle to this

researcher may have to adopt a particular role to fit in but must not disrupt the group’s normal behaviour

50
Q

participant observation - getting in - example of contact

A

FAIRHURST found herself hospitalised and used the opportunity to conduct a study on being a patient

51
Q

participant observation - staying in

A

once in they’re faced with problems:
must be involved to understand fully
but must also be detached to remain objective and unbiased

if they stay too long the less strange the groups behaviour will appear and won’t notice things they wold found noteworthy

52
Q

participant observation - getting out

A

leaving a group that the researcher has become close to can be difficult

and can be difficult re-entering their own world

may find a loyalty to the group so prevents them from disclosing all information, for fear of harm to the group

sociology research methods (3 decks)

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