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Research methods Flashcards

1
Q

One of the advantages of lab experinments is that they hypotheses can be trested in controled conditions

MENTION MORE

A

1) particapants may not be aware that they are being observed thus –> hawthrone effect is avoided

2) Postivits see this as a detatched + Objective scinteifc mean of study

being in controled coditons –> relaible thus replicable

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2
Q

mention 2 limitations of using tringulation

A

1) researcher needs to be skilled in several research methods

2) can be time consuming + expensive to use several methods

3) since postivism + interpretivism approaches both based on completely different ideas –> can be difficult to combine both of them in 1 peice of research

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3
Q

What does reliability mean

A

Research can be repeated with the same responses

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4
Q

What are the types of interviews

A

Unstructured
Semi structured
Focus groups

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5
Q

State the stages in research design

A

Identifying a topic
Reviewing existing evidence
Developing aims and hypothesis
Target population
Methods
OperationalisAtion
Pilot studies
Implementing research method

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6
Q

What includes content annylisis

A

Studying the content of documents and mass media

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7
Q

who itnitated the use of S.Q M

A

emile durkeim and August comte who saw the gorwing abilioty of natural science to predict + understand the working of society

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8
Q

why could researcher imposition happen?

A

can happen bec SOCIAL CHARACTERTISTICS of the researcher influence answer given or behavior observed (age, gender,etc)

OR

bec researher WORDS
questions or annlyzes data in part. ways

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9
Q

What does the Use of S.Q.M allow?

A

1) reliabilty –> follow standardized procedire
2) replicable and reprduced
3) objectivity–> to remain nuetral –> unbiased –> uncover the truth –> not let own values giude them + what they life to be truue

allow reseqrcher to uncover C/E relationship

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10
Q

what is interwiever bias?

A

ways in which the interviewer ASKS qs or INERPRETS asnwers –> that have an effect on findings

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11
Q

____ of sociological reserch needs to be _____ as we cannot ____thar the meaning is ____ to everyone

A

findings
interpreted
assume
clear

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12
Q

what do we have to be careful of while interpreting research?

A

we need to be aware of any bias –> that may have influenced it

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13
Q

what is the Hawthreone effect

A

when ppl change thier behavior –>when they know they are being watched

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14
Q

mention factors of postivists

A

advocate use of Scinetific Quantitative methods
- objetivity
unnaised + detatched
- look for trends and patterns when annylyzing data

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15
Q

what is a panel sample?
and what do they do?

A

it is the group or households being studied in a longtitudinal study

they are interviwed or they complete quesionares on regular basis –. WITH PERIODF OF MONTHS OR EVEN YEARS IN B/TW interviews

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16
Q

why does hawtheone affect occur?

A

ppl may want to observe part impression of themselves

OR

simply Become more aware of their actions due to being observed

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17
Q

what is the interviewer effect?

A

when interviewer may influence participants responses –> through their characteristics –>
- apperance
- verbal cues –> such as facial expresssions OR tone of voice

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18
Q

what does “target population” mean?

A
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19
Q

mention 2 limitations of longtitunal studies

A

1) SAMPLE ATTRITION
panel members may drop out of reaerach at later date due to death or move away –> which afects REPRESENTATIVENESS

2) being part of this type of research can cause change in participants behavior called HAWTRONE EFFECT
- think more csrefully of actions

3) considerable commitement of time + funding over a long period

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20
Q

what are hard statistics/evidence copy?
AND give examples

A

they should be complete accurate
apart from any errors ot incompleteness
recorded by law
eg// in most countries records kept of al births + marriages + death

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21
Q

How do sociologitsts using S.Q.M stay objective?

A

they aim to remain unbaised+ neutrual and discover the truth–> without letting their values OR what they would like to be true giude them

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22
Q

what does generalisabilty mean?

A

when findings about a sample can be applied to a larger grp of ppl sharing same characteristics

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23
Q

what view does Positivism take?

A

macro view of society and that human behavior is predicable
react to exeternal stumili just as aspects of nature

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24
Q

mention 2 strengths of longtitunial study

A

1) becomes possible to see what factors –> have casued changes in ppls lives over time

2) shows how ppls live change over time

3) holistic view

4) not a snapshot view of what things are like in one moment of time

5) as repsondant shave to commit –> chances of valid info

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25
define sampling error
when there are differences btw results for a sample and results for the target population
26
interprevitists are interested in how ____ make sense of ____ and of ______
inuduviduals society social actions
27
what are soft statistics copy? AND give examples
these depend on ppl making decisions about what + how to record ^these decisions may lead to --> different statistics + there may be changes overtime IN WHAT IS RECORDED not clearly recorded e.g// include unemployment statistics + how many crimes taken place --> bec DECISIONS ARE MADE ABT WHAT TO INCLUDE + HOW TO COMPILE STATISTICS
28
in most longtitunal studies ---> the same SAMPLE is used each time TRUE OR FALSE
TRUE
29
smention 2 strengths of using offical statistics
Readily available Free of charge often on internet thus cheap and easy to use Often repeated each yr or every few yrs showing change overtime (confirms reliability) Allows researcher to make comparisons in trends and patterns Reliable and replicable as produced by research that is well planned + well organised + with samples (Representativeness) Have already been produced + public so unlikely to have any ethical issues Useful to policy makers + sociologists + govt + organisations to plan ahead
30
A limitation of using offical statistics include, that due to reducing everything to numbers --> they lack validity with no reason or details shown behind the data (no true pic) mention 2 more limitations
As funded by govt~> politics can affect statistics May be baised in favour of govt + presented to show things at best light Statistics rarely completed + accurate as appear + claim to be Interprtivits argue that they are not objective facts as socially constructed -> do not always mean what they same to mean Produced by others and may not have exactly what sociologists would like to know Eg how many marriages break down want to know but statistics includes only divorces not separations
31
What do interprevitism state about human beings?
They are active, concious human beings who make choices on how to behave - thus their behavior cannot be predicted
32
what is the difference bwetween qualitative and quantitive data? 3 mention
QLTLTIVE DATA - describes phenomena descriptive includes U.I and Participant obervation prefered by interprevitists offers validity - looks a t meanings, interaction patterns between induviduals QNTTIVE DATA - numerical produced as numbers such as officual statistics - allows representativeness of target population - includes surveys questionaries, Structured interviews allows relaibility, representation and generalizability
33
what are "non official statistics"
These include data from research conducted by organisations such as religious groups * charities and policy instructions
34
mention 3 strengths of tringulation
1) can provide balance b/w methods --> whee one may be weaker than another in part area of research --> other can backup 2.can allow researcher to support quantative data with qualitative examples --> thus givimg stidy of both RELAIBILITY AND VALIDITY 3 can be used to check validity of research as QLT 4. can be used to check relaibility of research using different sources 5) cross reference + check for accuracy of other data collected
35
what does the term validity mean?
it refers to the extent to which findings REFLECT REALITY + give TRUE PIC
36
non official statistics groups are also called _______ ______ in the media
think tanks
37
define historical documents
Documents produced in the past so may be useful to investigate how society has changed over time
38
Define the features of personal documents
First person accounts Documents less easy for researcher to obtain since may feel that they are private thus may not show their availability or existence
39
Mention the limitations of using personal docs and historical docs
May be unrepresentative Need to be checked against resources May give favourable view of themselves and actions May be biased intentionally as may have the intention to publish in the future
40
What are autobiography’s
Ppls published acc of their lives
41
Mention the strengths of digital sources
Make vast range of information available at low cost + very easy access Are global -> makes it easier to access information about different parts of the world
42
How is relaibity a key aspect of scientific methods?
a key aspect of S.M is realibilty ---> it is an extent to which the finsings are replicable and confirmed --> As they follow standardized procedure --> can be carried out the same way + under same circumstances which is why allow replicablity and can be reproduced --> thus allow conformation of results
43
What does representativeness mean
Sampling a smaller version of the population
44
what is researcher imposition?
problem of researcher imposing THEMSELVES or their VLAUES on the reseach
45
How do positivits looks for trends and patterns when annylzying data?
1) they look for link btw variables (people of a certain age-->likely to commit crome0 2) How trends change overtime (no of marriages in population increasing)
46
what does tringulation mean?
is when researcher decides to use a variety of resarch methods --> usually including qlt + qnt data
47
define relaibility
the extent to which research findings can be repeated --> to produce SIMILAR results --> replicability
48
deifine longtitudinal studies?
these are carried out at INTERVALS + OVER A PERIOD OF TIME --> instead as one peice of research
49
what is the beleif of positivism
beleif based on that sociology should use the same research methods used for natural sciences
50
Define content analysis
51
where does bias come from
from rsearchers values
52
what did emile durkhiems suicide study reveal?
durkiem wanted to show how behavior is governed by SOCIAL FACTS AND SOCIAL FORCES --> that affect induciduals actions his study showed the pattern of suicude statistics between countries differ found a corelation bwtween the type of relgion in country + the siucide rate 1) In socoeties with strong connections --> such as high rates of religious beleifs or strong family values -->siucude rates lower - strong sense of belonging 2) In socoeties with weaker lvl of relgious control--> higher suicide rates SHOWED THE NATURE OF SOCOETY NOT INDUCUDUEALS
53
What are the types of methodology
Inductive and deductive
54
Define inductive methodology
Gather statistics for evidence → then give theory on the basis of these
55
Define deductive methodology
Give theoretical hypothesis first then test against evidence
56
Define the 4 pointer paradigm for assessing secondary resources by Scott
Meaning Authenticity Authorship Credibility Representativeness
57
interprevitists focus on ___ scale and on _____ and _____ rather than ______
1. micro scale interactions 2. induviduals, small groups 3. whole socities
58
when using S.M why do sciwntist try to remain OBJECTIVE?
They try to remain nuetral--> avoiding bias and discover the trurth rather than lettimg their values guide them or What they like to be true
59
Define correlation and causation
60
what does it mean that scientists advocating the use of qualitatitve methods observe Subjectivity?
It means allowing a personal point of view --> to influence interpretation and understanding
61
mention the strengths of quantitive data
62
mention the limitations of quanititive data
63
what are quesionares?
64
how do quessionares add to flexibility of the scientific quantitive methods?
can be used in different ways administered in different ways - via internet - via telephone - via postal or online qs via person (can include hawthrone effect)
65
What is the key requirment of panel studies?
respondants must be the same through out study
66
in depth methods--> allows researcher to develop _______ _______ of the ________ and how they actually ____ about the _____ being researched
detailed understanding feel issue
67
why would longtitiudinal studies poften be used by govt funded research organizations?
to study basic qs aboutn changing - lifsytle - education - health - illness - employment find out about changes over time
68
mention the strengths of qualitative data
1) valid due to indepth + detail 2) more in depth 3) procides with understanding of meanings + motivations --> behind respondants actions 4) Led more by the respndant rather than researcher who is less likely to impose own perspective
69
mention limitations of qualitative data
since small sample size difficult to generalize --> cannot ensure representativeness less relaible -->bec research difficult to replicate time consuming process that quantititve cannot make comparisions btween different patterns and trends
70
interprevitists beleive ____ are in control because ppl ____ the soceties they live in and _____ them through their _______
1) induviduals 2) make 3) change 4) actions
71
questionaires reflect _______ _______ ________
researchers world view
72
What is formal analysis Give example aswell
73
What is thematic analysis give example as well
74
What is textual analysis give example aswell
75
What is audience analysis give example aswell
76
What are the theoretical considerations when researching
77
That art the practical considerations when conducting research
78
What are the factors that influence topic choice
79
What are the ethical research considerations
80
What are the legal considrabes
81
Define safety when conducting research
82
What does methodological pluralism mean ( mixed method)
83
Define data triangulation
84
What does Karl popper say about natural sciences
85
What does Roger gomm say about natural sciences
86
What do positivists say about socio and science
87
What do interpretvists say about socio and science
88
Define the realist view about Natural science Define human consciousness Procedural rules
89
What are the scientific ethos that realist view talks about Universal Communal Disinterested Skeptical
90
What do feminists say about socio and natural science
91
What is ecological validity
92
What are the 4 approaches to sociological research
Case studies Surveys Ethnography Longlituninal studies
93
Define survey
They provide a snapshot of behavio at any giventime Qualitative forms of cross-sectional surveys Generally descriptive Look at certain population charadénisties Suicide, income poverty applied to a single region Quantative forms are commonly used Analyse both correlations + causation b/w different phenomena Both types of surveys require representative samples to make generalisations about behaviour Surveys focus on identifying groups that share broad similarities (income gender education ) Measures differences using single variable such as death or suicide rates
94
Define ethnography
Achieves a detailed + in depth understanding of a group of ppl or social situation Can use different qualitative research methods - unstructured interviews - participant observation Broader in scope Entire social setting study Aims for inside perspective Understand the pov of group Cultural + social context (Paul’s Willis lads study)
95
Define case studies
Is a technique comprising of in-depth qualitative study of particular group or case Focus in single group which is studied over time providing greater depth + info Has greater validity in contrast to simple qualitative studies Helps undercover meanings that ppl give to everyday behaviour via participation observation Large scale in-depth case studies need lots of time effort and money Demands highly skilled researchers who may spend months or years living + working with their subjects NEGATIVE difficult to generalise from smaller groups + few cases Internal + external perspective Specific Multiple methods
95
What is internal validity and external validity
96
What do positivists and interpretivists say about objectivity
97
What are the factors that research topic is based on
98
What are the 4 linking stages of research design suggested by oberg
99
Mention all the sampling tech
100
Define random and systematic sampling
101
Define stratified sampling
102
Define stratified quota
103
Define snowball sampling
104
Define opportunity sampling
105
106
107
108
109
Mention the strengths of historical and personal documents
May be highly valid Provide pic of reality at that time they were produced Provide disrcriptive details + insights that may be missing in statistical sources Offer first hand accounts from ppl included
111
Define longtitunal studies

SOCIOLOGY (15 decks)

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