Research Methods Flashcards
Reliability
The extent to which the results are the same on repeated trials
Informed consent
permission granted in full knowledge of the possible consequences
Systematic sampling
In a set group size (sampling frame) every nth person is selected
Gate keepers
People who control access to something
Verstehen
Empathetic understanding of human behaviour
Oral testimony
Interview with a person about their past/historic experiences
Rapport
A sympathetic relationship or understanding
Independent variable
A thing that you control and manipulate
Open questions
A question that is not restricted to a single answer and results in multiple possibilities and usually gains qualitative data
Content analysis
Analysing qualitative data to draw conclusions from it and possibly turn it into quantitative data
Going native
In participant observation and you can adopt the belief system and norms of the people you are supposed to be studying any conclusions you make may become subjective and biased
Representativeness
The extent of which a sample represents the rest of the population, if so you can generalise from it
Quantitative data
Data from which you can see correlations, trends and patterns, positivists prefer this type of data
Case study
A study which focuses on an individual or group
Response rate
Percentage of people in the sample that provide data for analysis
Anonymity
The person remains nameless
Life histories
Documents that provide an overview/insight into someone’s entire life
Control group
Group in which you don’t manipulate the variable
Comparative method
Process of comparing two things and seeing if the result of the comparison shows differences or similarities between the two.
Quota sampling
Certain quota is identified and then the researcher simply goes out looking for the right number so that they are all proportionate
Dependent variable
Is the one that you don’t control and is affected by the independent variable, it is also the one you measure
Personal documents
Documents such as diaries, letters, these days it can be texts and emails
Stratified sampling
Division of a sample frame into smaller groups and the final subjects are selected proportionally from the different groups usually randomly
