research methods Flashcards
what is primary data?
data collected on your own
what is secondary data?
using other people’s data for your own purposes
what is quantitative data?
numerical data
what is qualitative data?
written data
what are the practical factors influencing choice of methods?
1.time and money
2.requirements of funding bodies
3.personal skills and characteristics
4.subject matter
5.research opportunity
what are the ethical factors influencing choice of methods?
1.informed consent
2.confidentiality and privacy
3.harm to participants
4.vulnerable groups
what are the theoretical factors influencing choice of methods?
1.validity
2.reliabilty
3.representativeness
what does validity mean?
how truthful the data is
what does reliability mean?
is it repeatable data?
what does representativeness mean?
is the data generalized? e.g mixture of ages and ethnicities
what are the positivists views?
- prefer quantitative data
- see sociology as a science
- they like their research to be reliable and representative
examples of positivists
functionalists: durkheim, parson
marxists: althusser, bowles and gintis
what are the interpretivists views?
- prefer qualitative data
- reject the idea of sociology being a science
- they value validity
examples of interpretivists
interactionalist: becker
what are the different types of sampling?
1.random sampling
2.quasi-random sampling
3.stratified random sampling
4.quota sampling
5.snowball sampling
6.opportunity sampling
what is random sampling?
randomly selecting participants e.g out of a hat. each member of the target population have an equal chance of being picked
what is quasi-random sampling?
a probability sampling method where researches select members of the population at a regular interval
what is stratified random sampling?
method of sampling that involves the splitting of groups into sub-groups and then splitting them groups into even smaller groups
what is quota sampling?
picking the people with the characteristics you want
what is snowball sampling?
where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from other people
what is opportunity sampling?
where the researcher selects participants based on their availability
what is meant by objective?
a researcher must not allow there thoughts and opinions to impact their research findings
what is meant by subjective?
opinions based on personal impressions that are influenced by bias
what are official statistics?
a set of numerical data collected by the government and associated government agencies
practical advantages of lab experiments
funding bodies - fund the experiments
personal characteristics - dont need characteristics as they are detached
easy - sociologist just needs to follow instructions
ethical advantages of lab experiments
informed consent - requirement for funding
legality - rarely ask participants to do anything illegal
theoretical advantages of lab experminets
reliability - easy to replicate as in a controlled environment
practical disadvantages of lab experiments
sample size - difficult to investigate large sizes
time - some people have work, school etc
money - its in a controlled environment
ethical disadvantages of lab experiments
deception - participants don’t get told everything
harm - harmful activities could take place
theoretical disadvantages of lab experiments
validity - information isn’t detailed enough
representativeness - the sample size is too small
practical advantages of field experiments
sample size - large sample sizes making it more representative
money - cheaper as setting is natural
ethical advantages of field experiments
confidentiality and privacy - when collecting any identities as its all kept safe
unintrusive - done without people having to change their daily routines
theoretical advantages of field experiments
validity - information is detailed
representativeness - its a large sample size
practical disadvantages of field experiments
time - takes a long time to gain the right outcome
cant control variable and environment as its real
ethical disadvantages of field experiments
consent - subjects aren’t usually aware they are being studied, so need consent
covert - the participants aren’t aware
theoretical disadvantages of field experiments
reliability - data isn’t repeatable
practical advantages of comparative method
money - it is a really cheap method , no statistics
time - nothing needs to be set up
ethical advantages of comparative method
non
theoretical advantages of comparative method
reliability - its easy to repeat
practical disadvantages of comparative method
access - some data may be restricted
language barriers - can misunderstand data
ethical disadvantages of comparative method
non
theoretical disadvantages of comparative method
validity - isn’t enough detail
representativeness - only looks at small groups
practical advantages of questionnaires
quick, cheap and efficient - can gather large amount of data in a short amount time
training - no training is required as they just need to post them
ethical advantages of questionnaires
anonymity and confidentiality - details are keep safe, people don’t have to answer every questions
theoretical advantages of questionnaires
reliability - numerical data that can be repeated
representativeness - can gather data from a large population and can generalise it
practical disadvantages of questionnaires
money - if buying incentives
inflexibility - cant change questions once printed
ethical disadvantages of questionnaires
sensitive data - some questions could be too uncomfortable for people to answer
theoretical disadvantages of questionnaires
low response rate - some people are too busy
just a snapshot - only shows society at a specific time
practical advantages of structured interviews
fairly quick and cheap - set questions and answers so is quick
training - isn’t needed as they are just reading questions
ethical advantages of structured interviews
detachment - the interviewee and participant cant create a bond, so doesn’t effect data
theoretical advantages of structured interviews
reliability - easy to be compared
practical disadvantages of structured interviews
inflexibility - questions cant be changed once printed
ethical disadvantages of structured interviews
rapport - unable to achieve one, so some questions might not get answered
theoretical disadvantages of structured interviews
validity - not enough detail within answers
practical advantages of unstructured interviews
flexibility - more topics can be explored
ethical advantages of unstructured interviews
rapport - building this will make the participant feel at ease and encourage them to open up
theoretical advantages of unstructured interviews
validity - as the data is detailed
practical disadvantages of unstructured interviews
time and cost - take longer to carry out, different questions and answers
training - more is required which is added to the final cost
ethical disadvantages of unstructured interviews
harm - there could be some personal or intrusive questions asked making the participant feel uncomfortable
interpersonal relationships - some people can become too friendly which can disrupt data collection
theoretical disadvantages of unstructured interviews
representativeness - its more time consuming so less people will get interviewed
reliability - data is too detailed to be able to be compared
advantages of group interviews
- peers may feel more comfortable
- many ideas created
disadvantages of group interviews
- one peer may take all the responsibility
- peer group pressure can occur
practical advantages of overt observations
more likely to gain more access as they known what its about
ethical advantages of overt observations
no deception - participants aren’t lied to
physical safety isn’t at risk
theoretical advantages of overt observations
can use follow up questions (open-ended)
triangulation - more methods can be used aswell
practical disadvantages of overt observations
some people can refuse access
time-consuming
expensive - may need to buy equipment
ethical disadvantages of overt observations
people may feel quite uncomfortable
theoretical disadvantages of overt observations
hawthorne effect
not always produce data that can be generalised
practical disadvantages of covert observations
time - consuming
limited access
ethical disadvantages of covert observations
illegal activities
theoretical disadvantages of covert observations
note taking - they cant do it secretly so have to do it in specific areas. lowers validity
practical advantages of official statistics
free and easily available online
allows comparisons
ethical advantages of official statistics
ethical guidelines have already been considered by the government
theoretical advantages of official statistics
high in reliability -can be replicated and compared
representative - cover large number of people
practical disadvantages of official statistics
some information is kept private
ethical disadvantages of official statistics
some data may be manipulated to exaggerate certain issues
theoretical disadvantages of official statistics
lack validity - errors can be made when producing data
practical advantages of documents
cheap source of data
easy to access
ethical advantages of documents
credibility - undergo peer review which enhance their credibility
theoretical advantages of documents
high in validity - produce qualitative data
practical disadvantages of documents
availability bias - can be influenced by funding, preferences and language
ethical disadvantages of documents
misinterpretation or misrepresentation
theoretical disadvantages of documents
low in reliability - because of biases
example of experiments
milgram’s shock experiment
- researcher gave electric shocks to the learners, when they answer a question incorrectly
example of interviews
dobash and dobash
- they used unstructured interviews to research domestic violence and found they had built a rapport with the interviewees
example of observations
laud humphreys tearoom trade
- he observed male public toilets, to see if men engaged in sexual activity
example of questionnaires
the census
- it’s given to the population every 10 years, to see who lives in that household
example of secondary sources
anne frank’s diary
