Research Methods Flashcards
Who are positivists and what do they value?
- See sociology as a science existing of social facts which exercise control over individuals - we have no freewill and are controlled by structures
- Functionalists, Marxists,
- Will use quantitative methods as they value objective data with which you can identify trends and patterns
Who are interpretivists and what do they value?
- See individuals as having a conscious and freewill - not puppets reacting to social control
- Interactionalists, Subcultural Theorists, Feminists
- Will use qualitative methods as they value depth and verstehen in their findings to gain understanding of individuals motivations and intentions
What is sampling?
Sampling = a collection of a population that you are researching who are typical of the rest of the population
Sampling frame = List of people who will be included in study
What is and are the pros and cons of random sampling?
Random Sampling = Completely random, everyone has equal chance of selection
Strength = equal chance of selection prevents researcher bias
Weakness = May not be representative in practice, may need access to external resources
e.g. OFSTED
What is and are the pros and cons of systematic sampling?
Systematic sampling = every nth person from sampling frame is selected until desired sample size is reached
Strength = no researcher bias
Weakness = may not be representative, time consuming, need access to external resources, may produce a small sample
e.g. Willmott and Young ‘Symmetrical Family’ selected every 36th person on the electoral register
What is and are the pros and cons stratified sampling?
Stratified sampling = sampling frame is subdivided into smaller frames representative of general population. PPs are then randomly selected from each group
Strength = representative, no researcher bias
Weakness = time consuming, requires math skills, need a lot of info on sampling frame
e.g. ‘Pygmalion in the Classroom’ Rosenthal and Jacobson chose 18 classes then chose 20% of students at random to be the ‘spurters’
What is and are the pros and cons of quota sampling?
Quota sampling = predetermined number of people with each particular characteristic are established, once quota is filled no more PPs in that category are studied
Strengths = doesn’t require skill, inclusive
Weaknesses = unrepresentative of general population, researcher bias, time consuming
e.g. Oakley’s ‘Sociology of Housework’ interviewed 40 London housewives
What is and are the pros and cons of snowball sampling?
Snowball sampling = researcher identifies 1/2 people to take part and gets them to introduce them to others who are willing to take part
Strength = time efficient, more ethical - trust is gained
Weakness = unrepresentative, can’t create sampling frame
e.g. James Patrick’s ‘Glasgow Gangs’
What is and are the pros and cons of opportunity sampling?
Opportunity sampling = selecting people are easily contactable
Strength = time efficient, easy access
Weakness = unrepresentative, bias
e.g. Bushman’s study of situational factors affecting obedience
What is and are the pros and cons of theoretical sampling?
Theoretical sampling = sociologist’s position decides what’s important in sampling group e.g. Feminist study women
Strength = suited to aims, researcher will have the necessary skills
Weakness = bias, unrepresentative
e.g. Oakley - study of childbirth
What are the PET strengths of lab experiments?
PRACTICAL: Access - take place in researcher’s laboratory e.g. Milgram, Bandura, Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment in University basement
ETHICAL: Consent, right to withdraw
THEORETICAL: Reliable - Asch’s study on conformity has been repeated by many other sociologists
What are the PET weaknesses of lab experiments?
PRACTICAL: Time, cost - typically require incentive to take part e.g. Zimbardo Stanford Prison = $16 dollar a day
ETHICAL: Harm - Milgram’s ‘Obedience’ study 3 PPs had seizures due to stress, many struggled with guilt after the study, often involve deception - Milgram, RTW may be violated e.g. Zimbardo
THEORETICAL: Hawthorne Effect decreases validity - Mayo found that PPs would work harder (output increased) regardless of lighting, heating, rest breaks - just wanted to please Mayo
What are the PET strengths of field experiments?
PRACTICAL: Cheaper - natural setting provides all resources e.g. Keizer went to existing dirty and clean streets - only cost was the money in the envelope but this is more to do with what he was testing than the nature of field experiments
ETHICAL: Confidentiality e.g. we don’t know what school Rosenthal and Jacobson studied
THEORETICAL: Validity - no observers effect e.g. Rosenham’s Pseudo Patient study the nurses assumed their researcher’s records were symptoms of schizophrenia
What are the PET weaknesses of field experiments?
PRACTICAL: Access - gatekeepers e.g. Pygmalion had to gain access from headteacher
ETHICAL: Deception - Rosenham told asylums he’ll send some pseudo patients in second study - sent none, Griffin’s ‘Black Like Me’ study hinged on deceiving people into believing he was a black man
THEORETICAL: Unreliable - impacted by extraneous factors - Rosenthall and Jacobson left the students for a year, Bushman couldn’t control for other reasons why people may ignore/obey his requests e.g. personality type, how busy they were
What are the PET strengths of questionnaires?
PRACTICAL: Access - Connor and Dewson posted 40,000 questionnaires in 14 different unis, can overcome low response rate with follow up calls helps raise response rate - Edwards
ETHICAL: Consent, right to withdraw e.g. telephone questionnaires can ask them to stop
THEORETICAL: Reliable e.g.Census done every 10 years
What are the PET weaknesses of questionnaires?
PRACTICAL: Low response rate - Hite in ‘Love, Passion, and Emotional Violence’ sent out 100,000 questionnaires only 45% returned
ETHICAL: Questions may be invasive if on sensitive topic e.g. Schofield’s sexual behaviour study
THEORETICAL: Lack Depth and Verstehen e.g. Rutter was able to create data that correlated achievement to factors such as school size but could not explain these correlations. Also, may not be valid e.g. Census ‘Jedi’ phenomenon
What are the PET strengths of structured interviews?
PRACTICAL: No skill needed e.g. Willmott and Young hired people to interview
ETHICAL: Less likely to cause harm as can establish a pre-set list of questions with a pilot study
THEORETICAL: Representative e.g. CSEW Victim survey 50,000 households, Reliable - Nazroo had his study of health in Britain’s ethnic minorities translated into 6 languages
What are the PET weaknesses of structured interviews?
PRACTICAL: Inflexible e.g. Willis in ‘Learning to Labour’ asked questions he’d never thought to ask with unstructured
ETHICAL: Questions may be intrusive based on topic e.g. Dobash and Dobash ‘Womens Refuge’ unstructured allowed empathy, CSEW inherently covers a senstive topic
THEORETICAL: No depth or verstehen e.g. Oakley built rapport through collaborative interviews in her pregnancy study
What are the PET strengths of unstructured interviews?
PRACTICAL: Flexible - Willis in ‘Learning to Labour’ ended up asking questions he’d admittedly ‘never think to ask’
ETHICAL: Harm - researcher can discern what questions are appropriate to ask based on conversation, gives room for empathy e.g. Dobash and Dobash ‘Women’s Refuge’
THEORETICAL: Verstehen - Oakley built rapport with PPs of her childbirth study they even called her after the study to give her more info
What are the PET weaknesses of unstructured interviews?
PRACTICAL: Requires skill - Becker had to use code of playing dumb, shock tactics, and aggression to get PPs to elaborate in his ‘Ideal Pupil’ study
ETHICAL: Sensitive topics may cause harm - e.g. Dobash and Dobash still had risk
THEORETICAL: Unrepresentative - Willis only studied 12 boys. Also become subjective e.g. Oakley became friends with her PPs even being present at the birth of one of their children
What are the PET strengths of overt observations?
PRACTICAL: Can record info in real time without fear of suspicion e.g. Venkatesh ‘Gang Leader For A Day’
ETHICAL: Confidentiality - Whyte used pseudonyms for PPs like ‘Doc’ in ‘Street Corner Society’
THEORETICAL: Validity - takes place in natural environment e.g. Venkatesh saw how gang interacted with neighbourhood
What are the PET weaknesses of overt observations?
PRACTICAL: Access depends on researcher characteristics - have to be accepted by the group e.g. Thornton found it difficult to study clubbing/raving culture due to age difference between him and target population (counter - hired a younger researcher BUT this costs money)
ETHICAL: Morality - Venkatesh knew crimes were taking place even if he wasn’t involved
THEORETICAL: Observers effect - jeopardises validity
What are the PET strengths of covert observations?
PRACTICAL: Access e.g. James Patrick had Tim
ETHICAL: Confidentiality - pseudonyms
THEORETICAL: Validity - no observers effect and natural environment
What are the PET weaknesses of covert observations?
PRACTICAL: Recording info - Patrick had to rely on memory
ETHICAL: Consent + RTW e.g. Humphrey in ‘Tea Room Trade’ assumed role of lookout to observe strangers and recorded license plates without their knowledge to track them down for interviews a year later - questions legality too
THEORETICAL: Validity - covert observations are typically participant so they hold the risk of the researcher ‘going native’ e.g. Punch started identifying with the Amsterdam Police he was studying - started chasing suspects and searching cars and houses and yelling at people who insulted his ‘colleagues’, , getting involved may cause the researcher to do unethical things e.g. Griffin did blackface in his ‘Black Like Me’ study
