Theory and methods 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
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
3
Q
parsons organic analogy
A
- system: both are self-regulating with interdependent parts
- system needs: both have vital needs
- functions
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)
5
Q
four basic system needs (parsons)
A
adaptation
goal attainment
integration
latency
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
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
8
Q
two main groups of marxism
A
humanistic/critical
scientific/structuralist
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
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
11
Q
four types of feminism
A
radical
liberal
marxist
difference
12
Q
radical feminism
A
men maintain power over women through rape, violence and pornography
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
14
Q
marxist feminism
A
- women’s oppression is a result of capitalism rather than patriarchy
- women reproduce the labour force
15
Q
difference feminism
A
patriarchal experiences of women differ because of the class and ethnic differences between women
16
Q
three action theories
A
labelling
symbolic interactionism
dramaturgical
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
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
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
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
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
22
Q
simulacra
A
a struggle to differentiate between what is real and what is simulated
23
Q
sociological research process
A
- choose a specific topic
- decide an aim
- decide a hypothesis
- choose your research method/conduct a pilot study
- choose a sample that you wish to conduct your research on
24
Q
sampling frame
A
a list of all the individuals in a population from which a sample is drawn
25
random sampling
every member of the research population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.
26
systematic sampling
the researcher picking people according to a system
- such as every 4th person
27
stratified sampling
dividing the frame into groups that reflect their presence in the larger group and then randomly selecting from those groups in a systematic way
28
snowball sampling
the researcher asking research subjects to identify other who might take part in the research
29
quota sampling
the researcher approaching a number of people who exhibit particular characteristics
30
opportunity sampling
the researcher going to a place that they know will contain the type of person needed for the research
31
quick but less representative sampling methods
random
voluntary
snowball
systematic
opportunity
32
long but more representative sampling methods
quota
stratified
multi-stage
33
ethical factors affecting research
informed consent
anonymity/confidentiality
harm
34
practical factors affecting research
cost
access
time
35
theoretical factors affecting research
validity
reliability
representativeness
36
advantages of lab experiments
- can be tested under controlled conditions
- reliable - replication
- statistical data
37
disadvantages of lab experiments
- hawthorne effect
- informed consent
- doesn't reflect real life
38
advantages of field experiments
- represents natural, everyday behaviour
- produces qualitative information - high in validity
39
disadvantages of field experiments
- informed consent
- confounding variables
- unethical results
40
advantages of surveys/questionnaires
- representative sample
- anonymity/confidentiality
- reliable
41
disadvantages of surveys/questionnaires
- low response rates
- misinterpretation of questions
- social desirability bias
42
advantages of structured interviews
- reliable and replicable
- large sample size
- less harmful than unstructured
43
disadvantages of structured interviews
- inflexible questions, undermines validity
- social desirability
44
advantages of official statistics
- large sample size
- reliable
- free
- confidentiality
45
disadvantages of official statistics
- validity
- harm to an area/group
46
advantages of unstructured interviews
- not restricted by a schedule/follow up questions
- rapport established
- confidentiality
- can refuse questions
47
disadvantages of unstructured interviews
- time consuming
- expensive
- difficult to analyse
- less representative
48
advantages of group interviews
- high validity
- trust and rapport
- high flexibility of questions
- saves time
49
disadvantages of group interviews
- unreliable
- less representative
- trust and empathy may undermine objectivity
- confidentiality
- harm
50
advantages of participant observations
- validity
- observations can be cross-checked by asking the group
- more likely to act naturally
51
disadvantages of participant observations
- confidentiality
- difficult to get access
- time consuming
- reliability
52
advantages of non-participant observations
- validity
- observations can be cross-checked
- more accessible
- can use multiple methods at the same time
53
disadvantages of non-participant observations
- confidentiality
- difficulty to get access
- time consuming
- reliability
- cost
54
advantages of personal documents
- validity
- cheap
- informed consent
55
disadvantages of personal documents
- permission to access may be denied
- credibility may be questioned
- not reliable, subjective
56
advantages of public documents
- valid
- access
- no harm
57
disadvantages of public documents
- unreliable
- unrepresentative
- government bias
58
advantages of historical documents
- valid
- no harm
- no social desirability
59
disadvantages of historical documents
- unreliable
- unrepresentative
- access
60
favoured methodology from structural/positivist theory
- quantitative
- random sampling
- cause and effect
61
favoured methodology from modern/interpretivist theory
- qualitative methods
- representative sampling methods
- uncover the universe of meaning
62
favoured methodology from late modern/structuration theory
- triangulation/mixed methods
- reliable, valid and representative data
- address social problems
63
favoured methodology from postmodernists
- look at issues without barriers
- encouraged people to speak for themselves
64
positivist definition of science
there are natural laws governing the behaviour of the natural world and social laws governing human behaviour found in the social world
65
hypothetico-deductive method
observation
hypothesis
deduction for data collection
theory
66
scientific characteristics of positivist sociology
- objective and value-free research
- standardised, repeatable methods that are reliable
- data collected under controlled conditions
- produces statistical data
67
scientific methods
lab experiments
comparative methods
official statistics
questionnaire/surveys
structured interviews
68
poppers argument against sociology as a science
good science is about proving what isn't wrong rather than what is right.
69
interpretivist argument against sociology as a science
wrong to treat humans in the same way as the subjects of natural science because people have consciousness and free will
70
structuration argument against sociology as a science
sociology is an open science because they hypothesise about events or things that are difficult to observe
71
postmodernist argument against sociology as a science
science is a meta-narrative which is dominant due to its relationship with capitalism - puts society more at risk of exploitation
72
durkheim's study on suicide
- 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
four types of suicide according to durkheim
altruistic
egoistic
anomic
fatalistic
74
douglas' study on suicide
- studied diaries, suicide notes, psychiatric notes and biographies
- typical meanings suicide can have in western society such as atonement or revenge
75
taylor's study on suicide
- 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
value-free research according to positivists
- 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
value-free research according to modern theories
value-free sociology is a myth because it is impossible to separate sociologists from what they observe
- value laden research
78
value-free research according to structuration theory
sociology can be value-free but doesn't have to be.
79
value-free research according to postmodernists
- 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
'social problem' (worsley)
some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction and/or private misery, and so requires a solution.
81
factors affecting the likelihood for sociological research to affect governmental policy
- electoral popularity
- ideological perspective of the government
- globalisation
- cost
- how serious the problem is
82
weber's categories of human behaviour
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.
