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Sociology > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

1
Q

Practical advantage of questionnaires

A

.do not need to train interviewers
.Quick and easy to quantify data
.maintains detachment and objectivity
.easy to process by computers
.identify patterns and trends quicker

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2
Q

Practical disadvantage of questionnaires

A

.limited and superficial data
.lacks flexibility

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3
Q

Ethical advantage of questionnaires

A

.ethically sound when anonymous
.no obligation to answer
.informed consent is gained

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4
Q

Ethical disadvantage of questionnaires

A

.difficult to explore sensitive issues

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5
Q

Theoretical advantage of questionnaires

A

.high in reliability
.highly structured
.quantitative data
.can easily be repeated

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6
Q

Theoretical disadvantage of questionnaires

A

.detached nature
.lack of contact
.no clarification for misunderstandings
.cannot gain verstehen

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7
Q

Practical advantage of laboratory’s

A

.quick especially for small scale research
.cheap as only lab is needed

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8
Q

Practical disadvantage for laboratories

A

.society is a complex phenomenon
.can’t control all variables
.cannot be used to study the past

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9
Q

Ethical advantage of laboratories

A

.consent is given by attendance
.debriefs after the study
.milgrams study
.alert to dangers of following authority

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10
Q

Ethical disadvantage of laboratories

A

.lack of informed consent
.do not know the true aim of study
.may harm or distress

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11
Q

Theoretical advantage of laboratories

A

.positivists favour
.high in reliability
.can be repeated
.objective so no researcher bias

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12
Q

Theoretical disadvantage of laboratories

A

.interpretevists dislike
.quantities data lacks vertehen/depth
.Hawthorne affect
.lacks ecological validity

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13
Q

Practical advantage of field experiments

A

.natural, real-life environment
.more likely to gain valid data
.easier to gain access

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14
Q

Practical disadvantage of field experiments

A

.complex problems cannot be studied
.less control
.cannot be sure if causes are corrected

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15
Q

Ethical advantage of field experiments

A

.debrief after study to reduce harm
.alert to dangers (milgram)
.learn things of lasting value

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16
Q

Ethical disadvantage of using field experiments

A

.informed consent not always gained
.deception- participants are lied to
.spurters study

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17
Q

Theoretical advantage of field experiment

A

.positivists favour
.natural, valid, and realistic environment
.High in reliability
.easy to repeat

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18
Q

Theoretical disadvantage of field experiments

A

.interpretevists dislike
.lacks verstehen and depth
.hard to control
.difficult to identify causes

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19
Q

practical advantage of structured interviews

A

.quick and cheap to administer
.can cover large numbers
.eg- British crime survey
.easily quantified as closed ended questions

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20
Q

practical disadvantage of structured interviews

A

.time-consuming
.more costly as paying interviewers
.interviews are slow

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21
Q

ethical advantage of using structured interviews

A

.no obligation to answer sensitive questions
.can guarantee anonymity
.informed consent is gained

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22
Q

ethical disadvantage of using structured interviews

A

.cant explore sensitive or personal topics
.cannot establish rapport or trust

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23
Q

theoretical advantage of using structured interviews

A

.Positivists favour as quantitative data
.high response rate
.high in reliability
.limited interviewer bias

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24
Q

theoretical disadvantage of using structured interviews

A

.Interpretivists dislike as they’re closed-ended
.lack verstehen as cannot elaborate
.data obtained may not be valid

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25
Q

practical advantage of unstructured interviews

A

.informal nature allows a rapport
.can check each others understanding
.highly flexible questions

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26
Q

practical disadvantage of unstructured interviews

A

.time-consuming
.interviewers need training
.interviewers need good interpersonal skills

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27
Q

ethical advantage of unstructured interviews

A

.can gain trust of interviewee
.don’t have to reveal what they don’t want to
.informed consent is gained

28
Q

ethical disadvantage of unstructured interviews

A

.uncomfortable when face-to-face
.psychological harm may occur
.have to recall negative experiences

29
Q

theoretical advantage of unstructured interviews

A

.interpretivists favour as greater freedom
.can gain verstehen and a rapport
.flexibility increases validity

30
Q

theoretical disadvantage of unstructured interviews

A

.positivists dislike as they’re unstructured
.low reliability as hard to repeat
.Hawthorne Effect

31
Q

practical advantage of group interviews

A

.less time-consuming
.can generate initial ideas

32
Q

practical disadvantage of group interviews

A

.long time to analyse data
.large groups are difficult to control
.loud characters
.hard to keep group focused

33
Q

ethical advantage of group interviews

A

.informed consent is gained
.can observe group dynamics and norms
.creates a safe peer environment

34
Q

ethical disadvantage of group interviews

A

.can be uncomfortable for interviewees
.feel they can’t withdraw from interview
.peer pressure in group

35
Q

Theoretical advantage of group interviews

A

.interpretivists favour- qualitative data
.can build verstehen and rapport
.flexibility to explore new ideas

36
Q

Theoretical disadvantage of group interviews

A

.Positivists dislike
.Hawthorne effect
.may not be representative

37
Q

practical advantage of participant observations

A

.interviewer gains first-hand knowledge
.can build a rapport
.can ask naive but important questions

38
Q

practical disadvantage of participant observations

A

.difficult to get in, stay in, get out (covert)
.threats to personal safety
.groups may refuse researcher to observe

39
Q

ethical advantage of participant observations

A

.overt means no deception or illegal activity
.debrief after study
.anonymity can be ensured

40
Q

ethical disadvantage of participant observations

A

.deception
.lack of informed consent
.may lead to immoral behaviour

41
Q

theoretical advantage of participant observations

A

.interpretivists favour- more valid
.less likely to have Hawthorne effect
.qualitative data is detailed
.see the world through eyes of the group

42
Q

theoretical disadvantage of participant observations

A

.positivists dislike
.lack structure and reliability
.Hawthorne effect

43
Q

practical advantage of non-participant observation

A

.if structured it can be conducted quicker
.people wont be effected by researcher
.natural setting so can gain access

44
Q

practical disadvantage of non-participant observation

A

.difficult to gain access (criminal gangs)
.time consuming
.takes time to see their true behaviour

45
Q

ethical advantage of non-participant observation

A

.gains informed consent
.safer for the researcher
.don’t have to worry about cover being blown

46
Q

ethical disadvantage of non-participant observation

A

.may not have informed consent
.unwilling to co-operate

47
Q

theoretical advantage of non-participant observation

A

.Positivists favour
.structured and reliable
.no going native

48
Q

theoretical disadvantage of non-participant observation

A

.interpretivists dislike as no involvement
.no verstehen
.hawthorne effect

49
Q

practical advantage of official statistics

A

..easily accessible
.allow comparisons between groups
.collected regularly- show trends over time

50
Q

practical disadvantage of official statistics

A

.definitions used by governments are different
.government can manipulate statistics
.police statistics underestimate

51
Q

ethical advantage of official statistics

A

.no harm to participants
.detached nature

52
Q

ethical disadvantage of official statistics

A

.inappropriate to study suicide or dv
.dehumanising

53
Q

theoretical disadvantage of official statistics

A

.interpretivists dislike
.no verstehen
.issues of validity

54
Q

theoretical advantage of official statistics

A

.positivists favour
.high in reliability
.large numbers so representative

55
Q

practical advantage of documents

A

.historical documents are useful for the past
.cheap as already gathered
.saves time

56
Q

practical disadvantage of documents

A

.may lack authenticity
.some cant be accessed (Anne frank)
.some docs can be held back for 30 years

57
Q

ethical advantage of documents

A

.produced by someone else
.few ethical concerns
.do not need informed consent

58
Q

ethical disadvantage of documents

A

.dead people cannot give consent
.impacts family and friends
.personal docs need informed consent

59
Q

theoretical advantage of documents

A

.interpretivists favour
.vertehen
. high in validity

60
Q

theoretical disadvantage of documents

A

.positivists dislike as unrepresentative
.unstandardised and not reliable
.hoax documents

61
Q

practical advantage of content analysis

A

.easy access eg newspapers
.cheap as already exist
.enables discovery of new things

62
Q

practical disadvantage of content analysis

A

.time consuming if qualitative

63
Q

ethical advantage of content analysis

A

.serves public interest
.no participants so no harm

64
Q

theoretical advantage of content analysis

A

.interpretivists favour as depth as data
.high in reliability
.quantitative data

65
Q

theoretical disadvantage of content analysis

A

.positivists dislike
.based on subjective interpretation- no validity

Sociology (4 decks)

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