research Flashcards
Positivists
Positivists look at the institutions in society. Its called macrosociology.
Interpretivists
Interpretivist sociology looks at the individual. It’s called microsociology.
Reliable data
Reliable research can be repeated to get the same results. Reliable data is data that another researcher would be able to get by using the exact same methods.
Valid data
Valid data is a true picture of what the researcher is trying to measure.
Representative sample
Representative samples are a reflection of the whole population.
Primary data
Primary data is collected first-hand research. They find it themselves. for example, interviews, questionnaires, observations, experiments.
Problems with collecting primary data
Expensive, time-consuming, dangerous situation, may be unethical if you don’t give informed consent, researchers own values may mess with the data (bias), can’t always get access to the group you want to study.
Secondary data
Secondary data is existing information. For example, official statistics, diaries, letters, memoirs, emails, TV documentaries, newspaper. You gather the data together and analyse it, but you don’t generate the data.
Problems with using secondary data
The data may not be valid or reliable, documents may not be authentic, representative or credible, can be bias, the researchers values might have ruined the validity of the original research.
Quantitative data
Quantitative data is numbers and statistics. You can easily put quantitative data into a graph or a chart.
Why quantitative data is useful
You can test your hypothesis and look for cause and effect relationship, can compare your statistics, look for trends over time, easy to analyse table, charts and graphs, you can repeat questionnaires and structured interviews to test reliability.
Why quantitative data might be problematic
Statistics can hide reality, distort the truth, statistics don’t tell you anything about meaning, motives and reasons, not much depth and insight into social interaction, statistics are politically biased.
Qualitative data
Qualitative data gives a detailed picture of what people do, think and feel. Its subjective - involves opinions, meanings, interpretations.
Why qualitative data is useful
Gives an insight into social interaction, detailed description of social behaviour, helps find out meanings and motives behind behaviour, you don’t have to force people into artificial categories, can build trust and research sensitive topics.
Why qualitative data might be problematic
The investigations are difficult to repeat, they’re not reliable, the research is mostly on a small scale, might not represent the whole population, results lack credibility as they’re too open and open to interpretation, researcher can misinterpret the group/individual.
4 ethical issues
Consent - all participants must have openly agreed to take part.
Avoidance of deception - researcher should be open and honest about the study.
Confidentiality - the details of all participants and their actions must remain confidential and private.
Avoidance of harm - participants should not be physically or psychologically harmed by the research.
Covert studies
When the people don’t know they are being studied.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality - the details of all participants and their actions must remain confidential and private.
Harm
Avoidance of harm - participants should not be physically or psychologically harmed by the research.
Researchers who have broken the rules
Nigel Fielding (1981) argues that he needed to conduct covert research otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to gain access to the group and gather information. James Patrick (1973) used a fake name when he was doing a study on violent gangs, to protect himself. Roy Wallis (1977) he didn’t say he was a sociologist when he signed up to course to do research.
