Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

SOCIOLOGY!!! > Research Methods > Flashcards

Research Methods Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What does reliable mean?

A

Reliable research is when the study can be repeated to get the same results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does validity mean?

A

Valid is when you are able to get a true picture of what the researcher is trying to measure

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Why might a some research not be reliable?

A

Participants may forget information, exaggerate or lie

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Why do sociologists use a sample?

A

It’s impossible to research the whole population so sociologist use a sample which they try to make representative of the population as a whole

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does a researcher aim to do during their study?

A

Be objective and avoid any bias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is primary data?

A

Primary data is when the researcher collects the data first hand

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is secondary data?

A

Secondary data is when the researcher uses any existing data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Give three examples of secondary data?

A

Officials statistics, diaries, letters, documentaries and newspapers

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are advantages on primary data?

A

1) it doesn’t rely on another sociologists email so you can chose a method to make it as reliable and valid as possible
2) it is up to date information

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are disadvantages of primary data?

A

1) it can be expensive and time consuming
2) some methods can be unethical if you don’t get informed consent and it may put the researcher in a dangerous situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the advantages of primary data?

A

1) you can quickly and easily gather the data

2) it allows you to study past events and societies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are the disadvantages of secondary data?

A

1) the data may not be valid or reliable

2) you may not find the information needed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is quantitive data?

A

Quantitive data is numbers and statistics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are the advantages of quantitive data?

A

You can test your hypothesis looking for cause and effect relationship

You can compare stats against previous ones looking for trends over time and between society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the disadvantages of quantitive data?

A

Quantitive data gives a detailed picture of what people do think and feel using words

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Advantages of qualitative data?

A

It provides insight into social interaction

Allows you to find the meanings and motives behind behaviour

Let’s you build trust and research sensitive topics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Disadvantages of qualitative data?

A

Qualitative investigations are difficult to repeat and aren’t reliable

They are often small scale so don’t always represent the whole population

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the main two theoretical approaches to society?

A

Positivism and interpretivist

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What methods do positivist use?

A

They use reliable methods that give quantitive data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How do positivist think behaviour is influenced?

A

They think behaviour is influenced by external social factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Why do positivist analyse social facts?

A

They think sociology should be scientific and analyse social facts as they affect behaviour and can be easily measured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What do positivist use to measure relationships between different factors?

A

Statistics

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What method is used by interpretivists?

A

Valid method that gives qualitative data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How do interpretivists understand human behaviour

A

They believe you can only understand human behaviour by using empathy. It’s important to uncover and understand the meaning individuals give to their actions and to the actions of others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What do interpretivists think about positivist research

A

Scientific methods don’t tell you a lot about how individual people act in society and that social facts don’t exist

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What does rapport mean?

A

A feeling of mutual trust and understanding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

How does time have an impact on e method?

A

Some methods need a lot more time such as covert participant observation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Why does cover participant observation take more time?

A

The researcher has to get into the group they are studying and get their trust before starting the research

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How does money impact the method?

A

Money effects the length and method of the research. Money is needed to pay the researcher, transportation and resources

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

How much did the census cost in 2011?

A

£480 million

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

How does the characteristics and skills of the researcher impact the choice of method?

A

Some characteristics makes it difficult to be involved in a participant observation. Example an adult can’t joint a group of kids

Some researchers may be ok with dangerous situations and other may prefer sitting at a desk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

How does access and opportunity impact choice of method?

A

Some researchers don’t have access to certain groups so may have to use secondary data

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What are the four ethical issues sociologist try to?

A

Consent
Avoidance of deception
Confidentiality
Avoidance of harm

34
Q

What does consent mean?

A

All participants have agreed to take part in the study

35
Q

What does avoidance of deception mean?

A

Researchers should be honest about the study and the implications

36
Q

What does confidentiality mean?

A

The details of participants and their results should be kept private

37
Q

What does avoidance of harm mean?

A

Participants shouldn’t be physically or psychologically harmed

38
Q

Why are covert studies criticised?

A

They don’t get informed consent or avoid deception

39
Q

What study did laud humpreys do?

A

Tearoom trade which was a covert observation of secretive homosexuality activity

40
Q

What did Laud Humphreys do in the tea room trade study?

A

He studies men who engaged in homosexual activities in public places (mainly toilets)

Homosexuality was taboo in mainstream society, sexual activity in public is against the law and ,any were married

41
Q

Why did laud humphreys decide to do a covert study?

A

He wouldn’t have gained access or informed consent from the group if he was open and honest. If they did give him consent they were like to change their behaviour

42
Q

Why did laud humphreys pretend to be?

A

Someone who watches homosexual acts for a sexual allowed him to gain the trust of the group

43
Q

When a report is completed what needs to be done to make it confidential

A

Participants must be made anonymous using false names

44
Q

How does funding and cooperation for research impact the choice of topic?

A

The organisation which funds the research can be called the gatekeeper as it has the final say in the choice of topic

45
Q

How does the research here career in sociology effect the choice of topic?

A

Researchers are more likely to do a study that Improves their employability

46
Q

What happens when a sociologists chooses a topic of research?

A

Hey narrow down the focus of their research so they can go into lots of detail. To do this they come up with a single research question

47
Q

What is a hypotheses?

A

Hypothesis are statements that make predictions that can be tested

48
Q

What data do questionnaires generally provide?

A

Quantitative

49
Q

What kind of questions are mostly used in questionnaires

A

Closed questions and multiple choice answers

50
Q

That is an open ending question?

A

Gives you some insight into meaning and motives

51
Q

Who prefers closed questionnaires

A

Positivists

52
Q

Who prefers open questions?

A

Interpretivists

53
Q

What are 5 things that a questionnaire should have?

A

1) clear simple questions
2) clear instructions
3) clear layout
4) range of options on multiple choice questions
5) measure what you are trying to measure

54
Q

What 5 things shouldn’t questionnaires do?

A

1) Ask embarrassing or threatening questions
2) ask two questions instead of one
3) be too long
4) use sociological that people won’t understand
5) lead the respondent to answer a question in particular

55
Q

What is the crime survey of England and Wales?

A

The crime survey for England and Wales is a questionnaire that is carried out continually by the British government

56
Q

What are the advantages of a questionnaire?

A

1) easy to collect lots of data in a short time
2) reliable
3) anonymous
4) it is easy to use a large sample so is more likely to be representative

57
Q

What are the limitations of questionnaires?

A

1) aren’t very valid
2) questions may be misleading
3) participants can’t provide any extra information
4) the researcher can’t explain any questions
5) postal questionnaires have a low response rate

58
Q

What is a interview?

A

A conversation between the researcher and participant where the researcher asks lots of questions

59
Q

What is a structures interview?

A

They are like a face to face version of interview as the interviewee has to stick to a certain set of questions

60
Q

Advantages of a structured interview?

A

Reliable
The interviewer can explain and clarify the question
Higher response rate

61
Q

What are the disadvantages of structured questionnaires?

A

They are more expensive and time consuming then questionnaires

62
Q

What data is given during a unstructured interview?

A

Qualitative

63
Q

Why can unstructured interviews be useful?

A

It allows the researcher to gain trust so that they can ask questions about sensitive issues

64
Q

What are the advantages of unstructured interviews

A

They are valid

Flexible

Good for researching sensitive interviews

65
Q

What are the disadvantages of unstructured interviews?

A

The interviewee needs to have skill so they can find out about more detail

Not as representative as they use small samples

It takes a long time to write up an unstructured interview

66
Q

How can the interviewer effect people’s answer?

A

Participants may give the answer the researcher wants to hear….or the exact opposite

Interviewer may give leading question without realising

67
Q

What is a case study?

A

They are detailed investigations of a specific thing such as a person, group, institution or an event

68
Q

Give an example of a case study?

A

Willis

69
Q

Who likes case studies?

A

Interpretivists as they provide detailed data

70
Q

Why don’t positivists like case studies?

A

They often have a small sample size so aren’t representative of the wider population

71
Q

What is a focus group?

A

It is a small group that talk about a certain issue allowing a natural conversation which is recorded so sociologists can analyse it later

72
Q

What is a longitudinal study?

A

A study that takes place at regular intervals over a lo period of time

73
Q

What are the strengths of a longitudinal study?

A

You can analyse changes and make compromises over time

You can study how the attitudes of the sample change with time

74
Q

What are the disadvantages of a longitudinal study?

A

It’s hard to recruit people who will stay

It’s difficult to keep in contact with everyone

You need long term funding

Relays on interviews and questionnaires which may lack reliability or validity

75
Q

What does ethnography mean?

A

Ethnography is the of scientific descriptions of a specific culture by someone who has experienced it first hand

76
Q

The advantages of an ethnography study?

A

It’s valid as you can study behaviour in the natural setting you can also use different methods to get different types of data but it is mainly qualitative

77
Q

What a disadvantage of ethnographic study?

A

It’s difficult to make a generalisation from a small scale research so may not be reliable

78
Q

What are official statistics?

A

They are a source of secondary data produced by the government

79
Q

What are hard statistics?

A

Hard statistics are objective they can’t change. This would include birth death and marriage statistics

80
Q

What is a soft statistic?

A

Soft statistics are more subjective and can be changed especially by politics. Soft statistics include stats on crime poverty and unemployment

81
Q

How often is the census done?

A

10 years

82
Q

Why do sociologists compare different secondary documents?

A

They look for similarities and differences between secondary documents

SOCIOLOGY!!! (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions