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research methods Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

what is primary data?

A

data collected on your own

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2
Q

what is secondary data?

A

using other people’s data for your own purposes

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3
Q

what is quantitative data?

A

numerical data

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4
Q

what is qualitative data?

A

written data

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5
Q

what are the practical factors influencing choice of methods?

A

1.time and money
2.requirements of funding bodies
3.personal skills and characteristics
4.subject matter
5.research opportunity

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6
Q

what are the ethical factors influencing choice of methods?

A

1.informed consent
2.confidentiality and privacy
3.harm to participants
4.vulnerable groups

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7
Q

what are the theoretical factors influencing choice of methods?

A

1.validity
2.reliabilty
3.representativeness

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8
Q

what does validity mean?

A

how truthful the data is

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9
Q

what does reliability mean?

A

is it repeatable data?

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10
Q

what does representativeness mean?

A

is the data generalized? e.g mixture of ages and ethnicities

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11
Q

what are the positivists views?

A
  • prefer quantitative data
  • see sociology as a science
  • they like their research to be reliable and representative
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12
Q

examples of positivists

A

functionalists: durkheim, parson
marxists: althusser, bowles and gintis

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13
Q

what are the interpretivists views?

A
  • prefer qualitative data
  • reject the idea of sociology being a science
  • they value validity
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14
Q

examples of interpretivists

A

interactionalist: becker

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15
Q

what are the different types of sampling?

A

1.random sampling
2.quasi-random sampling
3.stratified random sampling
4.quota sampling
5.snowball sampling
6.opportunity sampling

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16
Q

what is random sampling?

A

randomly selecting participants e.g out of a hat. each member of the target population have an equal chance of being picked

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17
Q

what is quasi-random sampling?

A

a probability sampling method where researches select members of the population at a regular interval

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18
Q

what is stratified random sampling?

A

method of sampling that involves the splitting of groups into sub-groups and then splitting them groups into even smaller groups

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19
Q

what is quota sampling?

A

picking the people with the characteristics you want

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20
Q

what is snowball sampling?

A

where existing study subjects recruit future subjects from other people

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21
Q

what is opportunity sampling?

A

where the researcher selects participants based on their availability

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22
Q

what is meant by objective?

A

a researcher must not allow there thoughts and opinions to impact their research findings

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23
Q

what is meant by subjective?

A

opinions based on personal impressions that are influenced by bias

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24
Q

what are official statistics?

A

a set of numerical data collected by the government and associated government agencies

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25
Q

practical advantages of lab experiments

A

funding bodies - fund the experiments
personal characteristics - dont need characteristics as they are detached
easy - sociologist just needs to follow instructions

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26
Q

ethical advantages of lab experiments

A

informed consent - requirement for funding
legality - rarely ask participants to do anything illegal

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27
Q

theoretical advantages of lab experminets

A

reliability - easy to replicate as in a controlled environment

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28
Q

practical disadvantages of lab experiments

A

sample size - difficult to investigate large sizes
time - some people have work, school etc
money - its in a controlled environment

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28
Q

ethical disadvantages of lab experiments

A

deception - participants don’t get told everything
harm - harmful activities could take place

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28
Q

theoretical disadvantages of lab experiments

A

validity - information isn’t detailed enough
representativeness - the sample size is too small

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29
Q

practical advantages of field experiments

A

sample size - large sample sizes making it more representative
money - cheaper as setting is natural

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29
Q

ethical advantages of field experiments

A

confidentiality and privacy - when collecting any identities as its all kept safe
unintrusive - done without people having to change their daily routines

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29
Q

theoretical advantages of field experiments

A

validity - information is detailed
representativeness - its a large sample size

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29
Q

practical disadvantages of field experiments

A

time - takes a long time to gain the right outcome
cant control variable and environment as its real

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30
Q

ethical disadvantages of field experiments

A

consent - subjects aren’t usually aware they are being studied, so need consent
covert - the participants aren’t aware

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31
Q

theoretical disadvantages of field experiments

A

reliability - data isn’t repeatable

32
Q

practical advantages of comparative method

A

money - it is a really cheap method , no statistics
time - nothing needs to be set up

33
Q

ethical advantages of comparative method

A

non

34
Q

theoretical advantages of comparative method

A

reliability - its easy to repeat

35
Q

practical disadvantages of comparative method

A

access - some data may be restricted
language barriers - can misunderstand data

36
Q

ethical disadvantages of comparative method

A

non

37
Q

theoretical disadvantages of comparative method

A

validity - isn’t enough detail
representativeness - only looks at small groups

38
Q

practical advantages of questionnaires

A

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

39
Q

ethical advantages of questionnaires

A

anonymity and confidentiality - details are keep safe, people don’t have to answer every questions

40
Q

theoretical advantages of questionnaires

A

reliability - numerical data that can be repeated
representativeness - can gather data from a large population and can generalise it

41
Q

practical disadvantages of questionnaires

A

money - if buying incentives
inflexibility - cant change questions once printed

42
Q

ethical disadvantages of questionnaires

A

sensitive data - some questions could be too uncomfortable for people to answer

43
Q

theoretical disadvantages of questionnaires

A

low response rate - some people are too busy
just a snapshot - only shows society at a specific time

44
Q

practical advantages of structured interviews

A

fairly quick and cheap - set questions and answers so is quick
training - isn’t needed as they are just reading questions

45
Q

ethical advantages of structured interviews

A

detachment - the interviewee and participant cant create a bond, so doesn’t effect data

46
Q

theoretical advantages of structured interviews

A

reliability - easy to be compared

47
Q

practical disadvantages of structured interviews

A

inflexibility - questions cant be changed once printed

48
Q

ethical disadvantages of structured interviews

A

rapport - unable to achieve one, so some questions might not get answered

49
Q

theoretical disadvantages of structured interviews

A

validity - not enough detail within answers

50
Q

practical advantages of unstructured interviews

A

flexibility - more topics can be explored

51
Q

ethical advantages of unstructured interviews

A

rapport - building this will make the participant feel at ease and encourage them to open up

52
Q

theoretical advantages of unstructured interviews

A

validity - as the data is detailed

53
Q

practical disadvantages of unstructured interviews

A

time and cost - take longer to carry out, different questions and answers
training - more is required which is added to the final cost

54
Q

ethical disadvantages of unstructured interviews

A

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

55
Q

theoretical disadvantages of unstructured interviews

A

representativeness - its more time consuming so less people will get interviewed
reliability - data is too detailed to be able to be compared

56
Q

advantages of group interviews

A
  • peers may feel more comfortable
  • many ideas created
57
Q

disadvantages of group interviews

A
  • one peer may take all the responsibility
  • peer group pressure can occur
58
Q

practical advantages of overt observations

A

more likely to gain more access as they known what its about

59
Q

ethical advantages of overt observations

A

no deception - participants aren’t lied to
physical safety isn’t at risk

60
Q

theoretical advantages of overt observations

A

can use follow up questions (open-ended)
triangulation - more methods can be used aswell

61
Q

practical disadvantages of overt observations

A

some people can refuse access
time-consuming
expensive - may need to buy equipment

62
Q

ethical disadvantages of overt observations

A

people may feel quite uncomfortable

63
Q

theoretical disadvantages of overt observations

A

hawthorne effect
not always produce data that can be generalised

64
Q

practical disadvantages of covert observations

A

time - consuming
limited access

65
Q

ethical disadvantages of covert observations

A

illegal activities

66
Q

theoretical disadvantages of covert observations

A

note taking - they cant do it secretly so have to do it in specific areas. lowers validity

67
Q

practical advantages of official statistics

A

free and easily available online
allows comparisons

68
Q

ethical advantages of official statistics

A

ethical guidelines have already been considered by the government

69
Q

theoretical advantages of official statistics

A

high in reliability -can be replicated and compared
representative - cover large number of people

70
Q

practical disadvantages of official statistics

A

some information is kept private

71
Q

ethical disadvantages of official statistics

A

some data may be manipulated to exaggerate certain issues

72
Q

theoretical disadvantages of official statistics

A

lack validity - errors can be made when producing data

73
Q

practical advantages of documents

A

cheap source of data
easy to access

74
Q

ethical advantages of documents

A

credibility - undergo peer review which enhance their credibility

75
Q

theoretical advantages of documents

A

high in validity - produce qualitative data

76
Q

practical disadvantages of documents

A

availability bias - can be influenced by funding, preferences and language

77
Q

ethical disadvantages of documents

A

misinterpretation or misrepresentation

78
Q

theoretical disadvantages of documents

A

low in reliability - because of biases

79
Q

example of experiments

A

milgram’s shock experiment
- researcher gave electric shocks to the learners, when they answer a question incorrectly

80
Q

example of interviews

A

dobash and dobash
- they used unstructured interviews to research domestic violence and found they had built a rapport with the interviewees

81
Q

example of observations

A

laud humphreys tearoom trade
- he observed male public toilets, to see if men engaged in sexual activity

82
Q

example of questionnaires

A

the census
- it’s given to the population every 10 years, to see who lives in that household

83
Q

example of secondary sources

A

anne frank’s diary

Sociology (4 decks)

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