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Sociology > Theory and methods > Flashcards

Theory and methods Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

social action theories

A
  • studies society at a micro level
  • hasn’t splintered into groups because it is still new
  • how individuals affect society
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2
Q

structural theories

A
  • studies society at a macro level
  • many offshoots of groups
  • how society affects individuals
  • functionalism and marxism
  • feminism is structural but not classical
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3
Q

parsons organic analogy

A
  • system: both are self-regulating with interdependent parts
  • system needs: both have vital needs
  • functions
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4
Q

differences between traditional society and modern society (durkheim)

A

traditional society was based on mechanical solidarity - all members have collective conscience binding them tightly together

modern society - social solidarity is more challenging and society is more diverse (leads to anomie)

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5
Q

four basic system needs (parsons)

A

adaptation
goal attainment
integration
latency

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6
Q

internal criticism of functionalism (merton)

A
  • socialisation can come from lone parent families rather than the nuclear family as parsons suggests
  • not everything in society performs a positive function
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7
Q

historical materialism (marx)

A

humans had to work to meet material needs, but the division of labour led to a division in the two classes

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8
Q

two main groups of marxism

A

humanistic/critical
scientific/structuralist

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9
Q

humanistic marxism (gramsci)

A
  • the capitalist state cannot impose its will on the population
  • focuses on alienation and subjective experience of the world
  • workers have dual consciousness
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10
Q

scientific marxism (althusser)

A
  • ideas produced by the superstructure can be relatively autonomous and follow criticisms of marxism to develop
  • aims to discover laws which underpin capitalism
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11
Q

four types of feminism

A

radical
liberal
marxist
difference

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12
Q

radical feminism

A

men maintain power over women through rape, violence and pornography

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13
Q

liberal feminism

A
  • do not seek revolutionary changes
  • aim is the creation of equal opportunities
  • both men and women are harmed by gender inequalities
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14
Q

marxist feminism

A
  • women’s oppression is a result of capitalism rather than patriarchy
  • women reproduce the labour force
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15
Q

difference feminism

A

patriarchal experiences of women differ because of the class and ethnic differences between women

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16
Q

three action theories

A

labelling
symbolic interactionism
dramaturgical

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17
Q

symbolic interactionism (mead)

A
  • we have to interpret the meaning of a stimulus before we respond
  • we interpret other people’s meanings by taking the role of the other
  • actions are partly predictable because we internalise the expectations of others
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18
Q

dramaturgical (goffman)

A
  • we actively construct our ‘self’ by manipulating other people’s impressions of ourselves
  • we are all actors acting out scripts that we present to our audiences
  • we study our audience’s responses and act accordingly
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19
Q

structuration (giddens)

A
  • studies society at a macro and micro scale
  • a late modern theory
  • duality of structure: structures facilitate actions which in turn reproduce structures
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20
Q

lyotard (postmodernist)

A
  • postmodernism is positive
  • the role of sociology has been to justify and explain
  • society consists of isolated individuals who are linked by few social bonds
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21
Q

baudrillard (postmodernist)

A
  • sees people as isolated and dehumanised
  • see knowledge as a commodity and is filtered through by big business and the government
  • the death of the social; most people lack interest in social solidarity and politics
  • simulacra
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22
Q

simulacra

A

a struggle to differentiate between what is real and what is simulated

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23
Q

sociological research process

A
  1. choose a specific topic
  2. decide an aim
  3. decide a hypothesis
  4. choose your research method/conduct a pilot study
  5. choose a sample that you wish to conduct your research on
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24
Q

sampling frame

A

a list of all the individuals in a population from which a sample is drawn

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25
Q

random sampling

A

every member of the research population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.

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26
Q

systematic sampling

A

the researcher picking people according to a system
- such as every 4th person

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27
Q

stratified sampling

A

dividing the frame into groups that reflect their presence in the larger group and then randomly selecting from those groups in a systematic way

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28
Q

snowball sampling

A

the researcher asking research subjects to identify other who might take part in the research

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29
Q

quota sampling

A

the researcher approaching a number of people who exhibit particular characteristics

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30
Q

opportunity sampling

A

the researcher going to a place that they know will contain the type of person needed for the research

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31
Q

quick but less representative sampling methods

A

random
voluntary
snowball
systematic
opportunity

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32
Q

long but more representative sampling methods

A

quota
stratified
multi-stage

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33
Q

ethical factors affecting research

A

informed consent
anonymity/confidentiality
harm

34
Q

practical factors affecting research

A

cost
access
time

35
Q

theoretical factors affecting research

A

validity
reliability
representativeness

36
Q

advantages of lab experiments

A
  • can be tested under controlled conditions
  • reliable - replication
  • statistical data
37
Q

disadvantages of lab experiments

A
  • hawthorne effect
  • informed consent
  • doesn’t reflect real life
38
Q

advantages of field experiments

A
  • represents natural, everyday behaviour
  • produces qualitative information - high in validity
39
Q

disadvantages of field experiments

A
  • informed consent
  • confounding variables
  • unethical results
40
Q

advantages of surveys/questionnaires

A
  • representative sample
  • anonymity/confidentiality
  • reliable
41
Q

disadvantages of surveys/questionnaires

A
  • low response rates
  • misinterpretation of questions
  • social desirability bias
42
Q

advantages of structured interviews

A
  • reliable and replicable
  • large sample size
  • less harmful than unstructured
43
Q

disadvantages of structured interviews

A
  • inflexible questions, undermines validity
  • social desirability
44
Q

advantages of official statistics

A
  • large sample size
  • reliable
  • free
  • confidentiality
45
Q

disadvantages of official statistics

A
  • validity
  • harm to an area/group
46
Q

advantages of unstructured interviews

A
  • not restricted by a schedule/follow up questions
  • rapport established
  • confidentiality
  • can refuse questions
47
Q

disadvantages of unstructured interviews

A
  • time consuming
  • expensive
  • difficult to analyse
  • less representative
48
Q

advantages of group interviews

A
  • high validity
  • trust and rapport
  • high flexibility of questions
  • saves time
49
Q

disadvantages of group interviews

A
  • unreliable
  • less representative
  • trust and empathy may undermine objectivity
  • confidentiality
  • harm
50
Q

advantages of participant observations

A
  • validity
  • observations can be cross-checked by asking the group
  • more likely to act naturally
51
Q

disadvantages of participant observations

A
  • confidentiality
  • difficult to get access
  • time consuming
  • reliability
52
Q

advantages of non-participant observations

A
  • validity
  • observations can be cross-checked
  • more accessible
  • can use multiple methods at the same time
53
Q

disadvantages of non-participant observations

A
  • confidentiality
  • difficulty to get access
  • time consuming
  • reliability
  • cost
54
Q

advantages of personal documents

A
  • validity
  • cheap
  • informed consent
55
Q

disadvantages of personal documents

A
  • permission to access may be denied
  • credibility may be questioned
  • not reliable, subjective
56
Q

advantages of public documents

A
  • valid
  • access
  • no harm
57
Q

disadvantages of public documents

A
  • unreliable
  • unrepresentative
  • government bias
58
Q

advantages of historical documents

A
  • valid
  • no harm
  • no social desirability
59
Q

disadvantages of historical documents

A
  • unreliable
  • unrepresentative
  • access
60
Q

favoured methodology from structural/positivist theory

A
  • quantitative
  • random sampling
  • cause and effect
61
Q

favoured methodology from modern/interpretivist theory

A
  • qualitative methods
  • representative sampling methods
  • uncover the universe of meaning
62
Q

favoured methodology from late modern/structuration theory

A
  • triangulation/mixed methods
  • reliable, valid and representative data
  • address social problems
63
Q

favoured methodology from postmodernists

A
  • look at issues without barriers
  • encouraged people to speak for themselves
64
Q

positivist definition of science

A

there are natural laws governing the behaviour of the natural world and social laws governing human behaviour found in the social world

65
Q

hypothetico-deductive method

A

observation
hypothesis
deduction for data collection
theory

66
Q

scientific characteristics of positivist sociology

A
  • objective and value-free research
  • standardised, repeatable methods that are reliable
  • data collected under controlled conditions
  • produces statistical data
67
Q

scientific methods

A

lab experiments
comparative methods
official statistics
questionnaire/surveys
structured interviews

68
Q

poppers argument against sociology as a science

A

good science is about proving what isn’t wrong rather than what is right.

69
Q

interpretivist argument against sociology as a science

A

wrong to treat humans in the same way as the subjects of natural science because people have consciousness and free will

70
Q

structuration argument against sociology as a science

A

sociology is an open science because they hypothesise about events or things that are difficult to observe

71
Q

postmodernist argument against sociology as a science

A

science is a meta-narrative which is dominant due to its relationship with capitalism - puts society more at risk of exploitation

72
Q

durkheim’s study on suicide

A
  • used official statistics
  • suicide was related to the levels of social integration in society
  • social factors such as not being married and being childless caused higher suicide rates
73
Q

four types of suicide according to durkheim

A

altruistic
egoistic
anomic
fatalistic

74
Q

douglas’ study on suicide

A
  • studied diaries, suicide notes, psychiatric notes and biographies
  • typical meanings suicide can have in western society such as atonement or revenge
75
Q

taylor’s study on suicide

A
  • explains the cause of suicide
  • studied 32 cases of people throwing themselves under trains; 17 were classed as suicide, 5 as accidental and 10 as open verdicts
76
Q

value-free research according to positivists

A
  • objectivity through neutrality
  • sociologists should aim to see facts as they are and not let their personal prejudices, tastes and beliefs influence their research.
77
Q

value-free research according to modern theories

A

value-free sociology is a myth because it is impossible to separate sociologists from what they observe
- value laden research

78
Q

value-free research according to structuration theory

A

sociology can be value-free but doesn’t have to be.

79
Q

value-free research according to postmodernists

A
  • all knowledge from whatever perspective is based on values and assumptions and no perspective has any claim to be true
  • there are no objective criteria we can use to prove whether a theory is true or false
  • rejects meta-narratives
  • not even science is value-free
80
Q

‘social problem’ (worsley)

A

some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and/or private misery, and so requires a solution.

81
Q

factors affecting the likelihood for sociological research to affect governmental policy

A
  • electoral popularity
  • ideological perspective of the government
  • globalisation
  • cost
  • how serious the problem is
82
Q

weber’s categories of human behaviour

A
  1. traditional - routine and isn’t challenged
  2. affective - irrational and based on emotion or feelings
  3. value-rational - how actors pursue a goal based on its desirability rather than logical benefits
  4. instrumentally rational - actors attempt to achieve a goal in the most rational manner.

Sociology (5 decks)

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