Research Methods Flashcards
1
Q
what do positivists believe?
A
- social behaviour is a result of social facts
- society shapes individuals
- individuals do not have free will or choice
- puppets of society
2
Q
what do interpretivits believe?
A
- social behaviour is the result of how people interpret their interaction with others and social institutions
- individuals have free will and choice
- people are architects of society
3
Q
outline and explain three ethical factors
A
- informed consent: need to get consent of subjects or their subjects parents/guardians
- confidentiality: need to protect names, addresses etc by ensuring anonymity
- honesty: avoid deceit and be honest about purpose of research
4
Q
outline and explain three practical factors effecting research method
A
- cost: some methods can be expensive
- time available: some methods are more suitable if sociologists have a limited period of time to carry the research out
- subject matter: if it is sensitive or embarrassing it could rule out face to face methods
5
Q
outline and explain three practical factors effecting topic choice
A
- access: some people have the power to shut people out or deny them access or change their behaviour if suspicious
- source of funding: the. subject may be shaped by those who fund
- characteristics of the researcher: they may feel the need to highlight inequalities etc and be biased
6
Q
what are the advantages to laboratory experiments?
A
- hypotheses can be tested under controlled settings
- it is reliable and objective as it is repeatable and bias is excluded
- produces lots of statistical data that be compared or make correlations
7
Q
what are the disadvantages to laboratory experiments?
A
- the Hawthorne effect: the presence of the researcher may result in the research subjects changing their natural behaviour and starting acting artificially
- it is unethical to experiment on people without their knowledge or informed consent
- interpretivits argue that social life is complex and can’t be reduced to variables that can be isolated or manipulated in a lab
8
Q
what are the advantages to social experiments?
A
- they can uncover the meanings or interpretations that underpin social behaviour
- they are carried out in the real world and it is natural behaviour
- they produce qualitative data that is valid
9
Q
what are the disadvantages of social experiments?
A
- they are often carried out without peoples knowledge which is unethical as it is deceptive
- the aperient might have unethical results
10
Q
what are the advantages of survey questionnaires?
A
- they can be distributed to a large sample of people
- quick
- low cost
- little contact between the researcher and respondent so less ethical issues
- confidentiality is confirmed
- easy to qualify data
11
Q
what are the disadvantages of survey questionnaires?
A
- response rates can be low
- people may misinterpret the questions
- the wrong person might complete it
- people might lie
12
Q
what are the advantages structured interviews?
A
- can be ensured that the right person answers the questions
- they can explain and clarify questions
- have a higher response rate
- they can be conducted with a high number of people
13
Q
what are the disadvantages of structured interviews?
A
- training interviewers can be expensive
- not valid as there can be no follow up questions
- people might give false information
- interview bias may cause people to respond negatively to the interviewer
14
Q
what are the advantages of group interviews?
A
- the interviewer and interviewee can ask follow up questions
- trust is established through listening skills and empathy
- validity is achieved as people can get close to people
15
Q
what are the disadvantages of group interviews?
A
- time consuming
- expensive compared to other methods
- not reliable as there are different follow up questions so cannot be repeated
- qualitative data is difficult to analyse
