sociological methods

Question 1

what is primary data?

Answer 1

primary data is data collected first hand. some examples include interviews, questionnaires, observations and experiments.

Question 2

what are advantages of primary data?

Answer 2

• brand new
• up to date
• you can choose the method to make your data as valid/reliable as possible

Question 3

what are disadvantages of primary data?

Answer 3

• expensive
• time consuming
• can be unethical
• can be biased
• some methods can put the researcher in a dangerous situation
• you can’t always get access to the group you want to study

Question 4

what is secondary data?

Answer 4

secondary data is existing information. some examples include official statistics, diaries, letters, memoirs, emails, TV documentaries and newspapers.

Question 5

what are advantages of secondary data?

Answer 5

• quick
• easy
• can compare past and present
• don’t have to worry about informed consent

Question 6

what are disadvantages of secondary data?

Answer 6

• may not be valid/reliable
• can be biased
• may not be authentic/representative/credible
• might not be able to find the information you need

Question 7

what is quantitative data?

Answer 7

quantitative data is numbers and statistics. it is easily put into a graph or chart.

Question 8

what are advantages of quantitative data?

Answer 8

• can test your hypothesis and look for cause and effect relationships
• easy to analyse tables, charts and graphs
• can repeat questionnaires and structured interviews to test reliability
• allow large samples so findings can represent the general population

Question 9

what is qualitative data?

Answer 9

qualitative data gives a detailed opinion of what people do, think and feel. it involves opinions, meanings and interpretations.

Question 10

what are advantages of qualitative data?

Answer 10

• lets you find out meanings and motives behind behavior
• you don’t have to force people into artificial categories like in questionnaires
• lets you build trust and research sensitive subjects

Question 11

what are disadvantages of qualitative data?

Answer 11

• difficult to repeat
• they are not very reliable
• often on a small scale-so they might not represent the whole population
• can lack credibility as they are subjective and open to interpretation
• the researcher can get the wrong end of the stick and misinterpret the group/individual they’re studying

Question 12

what is the difference between positivism and interpretivism?

Answer 12

positivism looks at institutions in society, which is called macrosociology. interpretivist sociology looks at the individual, which is called microsociology.

Question 13

what do positivists say behavior is influence by?

Answer 13

external social factors.

Question 14

how do positivists measure human behavior?

Answer 14

quantitative data.

Question 15

what do interpretivists believe in?

Answer 15

they believe that you can really only understand human behavior using empathy.

Question 16

what do interpretivists use to measure human behavior?

Answer 16

qualitative data

Question 17

what are some practical issues that have an impact on method?

Answer 17

• time (some methods need more time)
• money (this affects length/method of the research)
• characteristics/skills of researcher (some researchers are okay with dangerous situations)
• access and opportunity (if researchers don’t have to certain groups then they would have to turn to secondary sources)

Question 18

what 4 main areas can ethical issues be grouped into?

Answer 18

• consent (all participants must’ve agreed to take part)
• avoidance of deception (researchers should be open/honest about the study/implications)
• confidentiality (the details of all participants/their actions must remain confidential/private)
• avoidance of harm (participants should not be psychically or psychologically harmed by the research process)

Question 19

what are covert methods?

Answer 19

covert methods are methods that involve not telling the group being studied that they are actually not being studied. they’re often criticised for their lack of honesty.

Question 20

when taking part in a piece of research what do respondents have a right to?

Answer 20

they have a right to confidentiality. their personal details and data gathered must not be distributed to anyone outside the research process.

Question 21

what do researchers have to make sure happens when carrying out a study?

Answer 21

they have to make sure nobody is harmed. emotional and physical harm is never acceptable in sociological research.

Question 22

what is hypothesis?

Answer 22

it is a statement that makes a prediction. it acts as a starting point for research. it states a relationship between two factors.

Question 23

what does it mean to make something “operationalised” ?

Answer 23

it means making it operational or workable by finding a way to measure it.

Question 24

what is triangulation?

Answer 24

this is where sociologists combine methods or data to get the best out of them. it gives a more detailed picture than when only one method is used.

Question 25

what is a pilot study?

Answer 25

it is a small scale practice run that lets you test the accuracy of your questions.

Question 26

what are social surveys?

Answer 26

social surveys give quantitative data. they tend to be used by

Question 27

what is representative sampling?

Answer 27

this involves picking out names of a “sampling frame”. a sampling frame is a complete list of the population being sampled.

Question 28

what is simple random sampling?

Answer 28

this involves names being taken completely random so each member of the population has an equal chance of being selected.

Question 29

what is systematic sampling?

Answer 29

this involves choosing a random starting point in the sampling frame an selecting every nth value.

Question 30

what is multi stage sampling?

Answer 30

this means selecting a sample from within another sample.

Question 31

what is stratified random sampling?

Answer 31

this is where the population is put into segments called “strata” based on things like gender, age or income.

Question 32

what is quota sampling?

Answer 32

it is like stratified random sampling but it is not random. the selection is made by the interviewer who will have a quota to make. interviewers tend to pick people who look “nice” which can introduce bias.

Question 33

what is non-representative sampling?

Answer 33

this is sampling for target populations that are difficult to access such as criminals.

Question 34

what is snowball sampling?

Answer 34

this means finding initial contacts and getting them to give you more names for your research.

Question 35

what is purposive sampling?

Answer 35

this is when researchers select non-representative samples often to falsify a hypothesis.

Question 36

what is opportunity sampling?

Answer 36

this is when researchers need to select a non-representative sample quick and easy. researchers can use captive audiences- these are groups of people who are gathered together for another reason like school children.