research methods Flashcards
what is overt observation
where the researcher makes the participants aware that theyre being observed
overt observation strengths
good detailed data, high validity as it doesnt effect/change participants day to day life, ethical as you can get informed consent,
overt observation weaknesses
lacks reliability, time consuming, hawthorne effect
whats the hawthorne effect
when people behave differently knowing theyre being watched
what is covert observation
where the researcher goes undercover and the people being observed are unaware
covert observation strengths
no hawthorne effect, good detailed data, high validity as it doesnt effect/change participants day to day life, access to secret/
unconscious behaviour of the group
covert observation weaknesses
unreliable, unethical as no informed consent has been gained, breach of privacy, time consuming, difficult
what is participant observation
when the researcher plays an active role in the group they are researching, and they become part of the group
participant observation strengths
detailed data, high validity as the research goes into the life of the group, builds rapport and trust
participant observation weaknesses
lacks reliability, time consuming, hawthorne effect, not much data
what is non-participant observation
when the researcher just watches the group without taking an active part in the activities of the group
non-participant observation strengths
detailed data, high validity as the research goes into the life of the group, builds rapport and trust
non-participant observation weaknesses
lacks reliability, hawthorne effect, time consuming, not much data
what are structured interviews
a conversation between two
people where the questions
have be set in advance and are
not deviated from
structured interview strengths
the researcher is present to explain
the questions, reliable, high response rate, builds a rapport which can help with sensitive topics
whats a rapport
a good relationship between the researcher and participant
structured interview weaknesses
time consuming, hawthorne effect, expensive to train interviewers, not anonymous
what are semi-structured interviews
a conversation between two people where the questions have be set in advance but the researcher is able to deviate from them in response to the participants answers
semi-structured interview strengths
researcher is present to explain
the questions, increased depth of data, verstehen: understand in a deeper way
semi-structured interview weaknesses
lacks reliability, hawthorne effect, time consuming, expensive to train interviewers, not anonymous
what are unstructured interviews
a conversation between two people where the initial question may be set but all other questions are based on the responses from the participant
unstructured interview strengths
researcher is present to explain
the questions, increased depth of data, verstehen: understand in a deeper way
unstructured interview weaknesses
lacks reliability, hawthorne effect, time consuming, expensive to train interviewers, not anonymous
what are group interviews
where the researcher interviews
several people in one sitting,
these can be structured or
unstructured
group interview strengths
researcher is present to explain
the questions, good to use when researching children, increased depth of data, verstehen: understand in a deeper way, participants can bounce off each other
group interview weaknesses
lacks reliability, hawthorne effect, time consuming, expensive to train interviewers, not anonymous, peer group pressure
what are open question questionnaires
an open question questionnaire is
a document that is handed to a
participant to complete alone, and the questions allow them to
explain their responses
open question questionnaire strengths
cheap, quick, easy, anonymous, confidential, detailed in depth data, reliable access to large samples
open question questionnaire weaknesses
low response rates, participant may misunderstand questions, difficult to analyse, the respondent may not be the intended participant
what are closed question questionnaires
a closed question questionnaire
is a document that is handed to
a participant to complete alone, and the questions provide a selection of responses to choose from or a scale
closed question questionnaire strengths
cheap, quick, easy, anonymous, confidential, reliable, access to large samples, easy to analyse
closed question questionnaire weaknesses
low response rates, participant may misunderstand question, lacks validity as it lacks depth, the respondent may not be the intended participant
what are web based questionnaires
questionnaires that are sent out by the internet, and can be a mixture of open and closed questions
web based questionnaire strengths
cheap, quick, easy, anonymous, confidential, reliable, access to large samples, easy to analyse
web based questionnaire weaknessed
low response rates as emails may go to junk mail, participants may misunderstand the question
what are postal questionnaires
questionnaires that are sent out by the post, which can be open and closed questions
postal questionnaire strengths
easy, anonymous, confidential, reliable, access to large samples
postal questionnaire weaknesses
low response rates as people may discard the mail, time consuming waiting for delivery etc, participants may misunderstand the questions, expensive due to postage
what are official statistics - (secondary data)
quantitative data that comes from governments and their agencies
official statistic strengths
reliable, easy access, cheap, up to date data, can be used comparatively, allows researchers to see trends/correlations
official statistic weaknesses
not much detail behind the data
what are public and historical documents - (secondary data)
documents which are produced by government departments or state agencies as well as companies, charities, and other organisations
public and historical document strengths
easy access, cheap, quick, avoids potential bias
public and historical document weaknesses
unsure of authenticity, no guarantee of reliability, official documents may be censored
what are personal documents - (secondary data)
personal documents consisting of qualitative data that show individuals or group experiences, feelings, attitudes, and motives
personal document strengths
high validity as theyre detailed, ethnographic, cheap, easy access
personal document weaknesses
unreliable, lack of validity as its only one persons experience
what are laboratory experiments
research that takes place in an artificial setting on the variables are manipulated by the researcher
laboratory experiment strengths
high reliability, can establish cause and effect, informed consent, easy to analyse data
laboratory experiment weaknesses
artificial environment, may be impractical, not all variables can be controlled
what are field experiments
research that takes place in a natural setting, but the researcher is manipulating the variables
field experiment strengths
reliable, can establish cause and effect
field experiment weaknesses
may be impractical, not all variables can be controlled
