Principles of Scientific Research

Question 1

what is science, in sociological terms?

Answer 1

the use of systematic methods of research and investigation and the logical analysis of arguements to develop an understanding of a particular subject matter.

Question 2

list the two broad transitions used in this study

Answer 2

1. positivism
2. interpretivism

Question 3

who is the founding father of positivism?

Answer 3

auguste comte

Question 4

what is positivism?

Answer 4

suggests that the scientific study of humans is possible using the methods and procedures of natural sciences:
- observation
- multivariate analysis
- correlation

Question 5

state 4 arguements of positivism

Answer 5

1. there are objective social facts about the social world, expressed statistically.
2. facts are not influenced by the researcher’s subjective point of view: value-free
3. researchers can look for correlations
4. correlations represent one thing causing the other.

Question 6

who is the founder/main contributor to interpretivism?

Answer 6

max weber

Question 7

state 2 beliefs of interpretivism

Answer 7

1. human behaviour that could not be measured because they were concerned with emotions and feelings,
2. sociologists should focus their study on the way people interpret the behaviour of others with whom they are interacting.

Question 8

state 3 methologies used by interpretivists

Answer 8

1. social action cannot be understand using natural scientific methods
2. individuals have a subjective consciousness- cannot be quantified
3. description is more meaningful and replaces statistical data

Question 9

list the 4/5 characteristics of sociology as a science

Answer 9

1. cumulative
2. objective
3. value-free
4. empirical
5. theoretical

Question 10

what does cumulative mean?

Answer 10

using new research to build on the advances in know;edge gained by previous researchers.

Question 11

what does objective/value-free mean?

Answer 11

being dispassinate and unbiased in one’s work/research, personal preferences should not be allowed to influence the research.

Question 12

what does empirical mean?

Answer 12

the information is based on solid evidence that has been acquired by objective procedure.

Question 13

what does theoretical refer to?

Answer 13

data obtained by research used to formulate theories.

Question 14

list the 7 ethical issues

Answer 14

1. consent
2. confidentiality and anonymity
3. rights to privacy
4. implicitly sanctions bad behaviour
5. misrepresentation of events
6. funding agencies
7. sensitive nature of subject

Question 15

what is multivariate analysis?

Answer 15

analyzing the importance of many different possible causes to help researches find what the true causes of a social phenomena are

Question 16

quantitative

Answer 16

takes the form of statistical or numerical information, used in complex statistical approaches (multivariate analysis) to help a researcher know of a particular social phenomena.u

Question 17

qualititaive

Answer 17

data presented in descriptive terms, rather than numbers- seen as richer and more in depth. the data is explained in words.

Question 18

triangulation

Answer 18

where the researcher uses more than one methodology to explain a social phenomenon- used to obtain a deeper and more detailed picture and to check for validity.

Question 19

what are document studies?

Answer 19

they record subjective states and are usually in qualitative form

Question 20

list 8 example of documents studies

Answer 20

1. diaries
2. letters
3. photos
4. frames
5. biographies
6. memoirs
7. suicidal notes
8. pictures

Question 21

list the 2 types of documents

Answer 21

1. personal
2. historical

Question 22

state 4 reasons why contemporary sociologists don’t use personal documents

Answer 22

1. not representative
2. open to different interpretations
3. highly subjectitive
4. content may be influenced by the identity of the person/intended readers

Question 23

what is participant observation?

Answer 23

when the researcher studies people in their natural environment, joining their daily activities. being as objective as possible to capture the reality of the subject.

Question 24

what does overt mean?

Answer 24

letting the group members/subject know that they are being studied.

Question 25

what does covert mean?

Answer 25

choosing to keep one’s identity a secret.

Question 26

what is non-participation observation?

Answer 26

the observer merely watches and records the actions of the group. this type of observation is almost overt

Question 27

cross-sectional study

Answer 27

a large-scale study done over a short period of time. the opinions of various groups based on characteristics that reflect the general population are studied. allowing the researcher to have a good idea of the attitudes and opinions of the whole population- by using a section of it.

Question 28

what is longitudinal study?

Answer 28

research that studies the same group of people over an extended period of time to gauge how much their lives have been changed.

Question 29

state the 2 types of longitudinal study

Answer 29

1. cohort
2. panel

Question 30

what is cohort longitudinal study?

Answer 30

this is where the same group is studied at intervals (up to 20 years)

Question 31

what is panel longitudinal study?

Answer 31

conducted over a short period of time where members of the panel are asked the same question but more frequently to gauge whether or not they have changes their views.

Question 32

list the three types of sampling

Answer 32

1. random
2. snowball
3. quota

Question 33

what is random sampling?

Answer 33

when a researcher randomly selects participants for research

Question 34

what is snowball sampling?

Answer 34

a recruitment technique in which research participants are asked to assist researchers in identifying other potential subjects.- to access hard to reach participants.

Question 35

what is quota sampling?

Answer 35

a non-probalistic version of stratified sampling, involving individuals that represent a population and generalized to the entire population