research methods Flashcards
what are the positivist views?
influenced by natural sciences- people should be treated as objects whose behaviour can be directly observed
what are patterns in positivism?
whole groups of people behave in very patterned or similar ways as a result of the social structure
what are positivist trends?
trends in human behaviour can clearly be seen and catalogued, as human behaviour is very predictable
what is objectivity/value free?
sociologist should be neutral and not allow their personal or political values or prejudices to bias any aspect of their research method or their interpretation of the data they collect
what is quantitative data?
data including numbers- statistics, percentages etc. which is reliable
what is qualitative data?
data in words- i.e.- feelings/emotions etc. which is valid
define primary data
data which has been collected first hand, by the researcher such as an interview questionnaire or asking people to do surveys on the street
what is secondary data?
data which has been collected from other sources e.g.- textbooks or the internet
what is representativeness?
a representative sample includes people who have similar characteristics to the larger population being studied and is appropriate to the study
define generalisability
the sociologist can conclude that what is true of the sample studied is true of the wider population
what is validity?
refers to whether the research findings give a true picture of what is being studied; it should reflect the reality of the group/persons studied
what is reliability?
if a research method used to test the hypothesis is reliable, it will be able to repeat the research and consistently obtain the same or similar results
what is interpretivism?
weber objected the view that humans should be treated as objects, and states that humans are consciously active and can capably make their own decisions and know how to behave
explain verstehen and empathy
interpretivist sociologists argue that if we want to explain social actions, we have to understand them in a way that the participants do, and see the world from their standpoint and we need to develop an empathetic understanding
define researcher imposition
making their own decisions and assumptions as to what is important and what isn’t
define rapport
establishing a close bond with someone which will increase the likelihood of validity and honesty of participants
what’s operationalism?
breaking down the hypothesis or research into concrete things that can be measured or observed
what are pilot studies?
a small research method carried out on a limited scale which allows researchers to get a clearer idea of what they want to find and how they can best find it out without the expense and effort of a full-fledged study
define what longitudinal studies are
a longitudinal study follows the same sample over time and makes repeated observations. for example, they study the same group of people at regular intervals enabling researchers to track changes over time
describe the opportunity sampling technique
consists of taking the sample from people who are available at the time the study is carried out and fit the criteria you are looking for
what is stratified sampling?
involves classifying the target population into categories and then choosing a sample which consists of participants from each category in the same proportions as they are in the target population
what is purposive sampling?
used when you need to gain knowledge about a particular aspect of society. participants are selected as they can provide information that can fit the purpose of the study.
it’s not random so not usually representative
random sampling definition
participants are chosen randomly, so that everyone has an equal chance of being chosen in a sample
what is the snowball sampling technique?
contacting people to get in contact with people they know, so that your sample is much larger
define volunteer sampling?
participant volunteers select themselves usually in response to an advert
what is ethnography?
writing about the way of life or culture of social groups. it involves the researcher inserting themselves into the natural setting of the social group being studied an participating in and observing daily activities
qualitative research
define content analysis
research to identify how particular social groups or situations are portrayed in the product being analysed. sociologists often use content analysis schedules to record how often something occurs
quantitative data
give two strengths of content analysis
- quantitative content analysis is reliable- can be repeated using the same schedule
- comparative methods- compare media reports and content over a period of time
what are two weaknesses of content analysis?
- very subjective- subjects largely depend on what the researcher interprets as important
- very time consuming- media checked over a long period
define researcher imposition
researchers may impose their own opinions on the people being researched rather than getting what they really believe (bias)
what is covert?
covert=complete
the researcher inserts themselves into a group and conceals the fact that they are doing research- they pretend to be an authentic member of the group
define overt
overt is participating in a study and the participants are aware that you are joining the study to observe
what is participant observation?
the sociologist immersing themselves in the lifestyle of the group being studied. it involves the researcher ‘looking out in the inside’ because they join in with activities and shares their experiences of social reality- ethnographic research
what is non-participant research?
involves a researcher observing an activity such as a doctor-patient interaction. the researcher is detached and unobtrusive who plays no active role in the activity. this is usually structured which uses a coded schedule to direct what’s being observed, and activity is only noted if it fits this schedule
what are structured interviews?
questionnaires that are read out by the interviewer who then records the answers. the same questions are read out in the same order to all respondents and are the same questions for everyone
two advantages of structured interviews?
- the interviewer is in full control over the interview and therefore the interview is conducted quicker
- ethical considerations are taken into account as the interviewer has time to explain the purpose so participants are not lied too
what are two disadvantages of structured interviews?
- they are inflexible as the questions are pre-set and therefore the interviewer cannot ask further questions
- the interviewer may have a certain tone about their voice so will lead participants to lie- demand characteristics
what are unstructured interviews?
more like everyday conversation, as they are informal and flexible and open ended. there are not usually set questions but there will be certain topics the researcher will want to cover
two advantages of unstructured interviews?
- highly valid qualitative data that gains verstehen- rapport with participant
- it is flexible- not fixed to ask certain questions and can alter the direction of the interview if need be
what are two disadvantages of unstructured interviews?
- you cannot see patterns or trends from the data and it is difficult to analysis scientifically- unreliable
- the research already has an idea of what they want to find out, so interpret the interview as supporting their ideas/ results may not be accurate
what are semi-structured interviews?
each interview usually has the same set of questions but the interviewer can ask the respondents to expand and develop their answers
what are two pro’s of positivism?
- relies on quantitative data- more reliable and scientific- trustworthy
- well defined structure- minimum room for error and little room for variance and variable changes as set laws and rules
give two weaknesses of positivism
- human behaviour naturally comes with emotional responses, however there is no guarantee that this will occur at all times during the study
- since positivists believe that everything can be measured, they end to be inflexible- this belief eliminates lateral thinking
what are the disadvantages of interpretivism?
- relies on qualitative methods- relies on measurements of things which cannot be numbered adequately- how someone feels when an event happens
- primary data generated in interpretivist studies cannot be generalised since data is heavily impacted by personal viewpoint and values- therefore reliability and representativeness of data is undermined to a certain extent too
describe two advantages of interpretivism
- generate qualitative data of a high validly
2. qualitative research areas can be studied in a great level of depth flexibly
what is subjectivity?
the concept of subjectivity as it relates to data collection basically means that the researcher allows their values to intrude into the data collection process in a way that creates some form of bias
what is positivism?
a particular set of assumptions about how society is structured and the appropriate ways of studying it
