Research Methods Flashcards
1
Q
experiment (6)
A
- carefully designed situation in which the researcher studies the impact of certain variables and subjects’ attitudes or behaviours
- experimental group: exposed to the independent variable to study it’s effects on them
- control group: not exposed to the independent variable
- laboratory: subjects are studied in a closed setting
- natural: real life occurrences that provide researchers with “living laboratories”
- field experiment: researchers might stage events in a natural setting
2
Q
surveys (4)
A
- number of respondents are asked identical questions through a systematic questionnaire or interviews
- asked to answer questions about heir attitudes, opinions, or behaviour
- make it possible to study things that are not directly observable (peoples attitudes and beliefs) and to describe a population too large to study
- could be collected through self-administered questionnaires, personal interviews, and/or telephone surveys
3
Q
field research (5)
A
- study of social life in its natural setting observing and interviewing people where they live, work, and play
- before conducting filed research, researchers must decide:
a) how to approach the target
b) whether to identify themselves as researchers
c) whether to participate in the events they are observing - complete observation: the researcher systematically observes a social process but does not take part in it
- participant observation: collecting systematic observations while being part of the activities of the group they’re studying
- most participant observation research takes the form of a: case study, or in-depth, multifaceted investigation of a single event, person, or social grouping
4
Q
secondary analysis (3)
A
- researchers use existing material and analyze data originally collected by others
- existing data includes: public records, official reports of organizations of government agencies, and surveys conducted by researchers in universities and private corporations
- content analysis: systematic examination of cultural artifacts or various forms of communication to extract data and draw conclusions about social life