Research Methods Flashcards
Who are the ESRC?
Economic and social research council
What 7 social facts did Durkheim believed influenced suicide rates?
Suicide was effected by many factors e.g.
Integration Marriage Religion Peace/War Economy Sex Race
What approach did Durkheim take?
Positivist approach (used statistics and found suicide changed between societies and so wasn’t influenced by free will)
What did Atkinson’s study on suicide show about Durkheim’s results?
Durkheim’s results were socially constructed as statistics were based off of description from family members and coroners.
How has positivism dominated research?
1) Government uses generalisations made by positivists
2) Science has high status in society so methods that include scientific techniques = high regard
How does social action critique positivism?
Social action acknowledges free will and human kind’s ability to act independently and unpredictable.
What did Mead say about meanings and experiences in interpretivism?
Socialisation of children = learning to interpret actions around them.
What did Weber say about ‘verstehen’?
Verstehen = empathetic standing point
How do rapports link to ethnographic studies?
Ethnographic methods include actively involving themselves with participants and their culture to improve validity.
How would positivists critique interpretivists?
1) Unprofessional and unsystematic
2) Their presence influences participants
3) Too subjective via interpretations
How would interpretivists respond to criticism?
‘Reflexivity’ is used to log each stage to acknowledge that the sociologist may influence some data.
What is the difference between objectivity and value freedom?
Objectivity = unbiased research
Value freedom = unbiased sociologist
What is the difference between social problems and sociological problems?
Social problems = aspects of social life that cause fear or anxiety
Sociological problems = understanding of why aspects cause fear and understanding
What are practical issues in research?
Cost
Time
Subject matter
What are ethical issues in research?
Confidentiality
Consent
Deception
What are theoretical issues in research?
Which methods (interpretivist or positivist) should be used depending on subject matter
What are the two types of random sampling?
1) Systematic = via numbers e.g. every 10th person
2) Stratified = separating sample frame into representative groups of gender, race etc. then choose randomly from those proportions
What does McNell and Chapman say about sampling?
Dip toes in before diving into whole pool
What is a hypothesis?
An informed guess that the researcher believes is true and so will attempt to prove via aims and objectives
What is operalisation?
The breaking down of aims and objectives into things that can be separately researched or measured aka decomposition
What are the 5 types of non-random sampling?
1) Quota = researcher chooses how many from each gender, race, age should be used
2) Purposive = choosing cases or individuals to better represent their research
3) Opportunity = making most of situations or research e.g. attending institutions that would accommodate focused group / individuals
4) Snowball = finding someone who fits research then asking them to recommend someone similar/fitting
5) Volunteer = advertising for volunteers in media
What is a pilot sample?
A ‘practice’ before the actual research, to ensure no mistakes or weaknesses are missed.
What is the difference between official and unofficial statistics?
Official = government collected e.g. ONS or Census
Unofficial = non-government sources e.g. charities and employers
What is respondent validation?
Sociologist checking with participant that answer has been interpreted correctly
