Theory and Methods Flashcards
How do interpretivists believe sociology should be studied?
. argue sociology is NOT a science
. look to understand meanings that influence why people behave in particular ways
. use qualitative data to gain verstehen: an empathetic understanding of the world from the viewpoint of those being studied
. use valid data to gain a true picture of society
How do positivists believe sociology should be studied?
. use the principles of the natural sciences to study sociology
. use quantitative data to gain an objective measurement of behavior
. favor reliable data to identify patterns and trends between social groups and over time
. favor representative data to generalize their findings to the research population as a whole
. identify correlations i.e. links between variables
. identify casual relationships between variables i.e. one variable causes another
What is primary data?
data that was collected first-hand
it did not exist before the research was carried out
What is secondary data?
data that already exists
What is quantitative data?
data expressed in numbers
What is qualitative data?
data expressed in any form other than numbers
e.g. words
What does validity mean?
Data that is true and correct.
What does reliability mean?
Data is reliable if the method could be repeated to obtain similar results.
What does representative mean?
Data is representative if it can be said to reflect a good cross-section of the research population. If so the data can be generalized.
What are the factors influencing choice of topic?
. personal interest/experiences of the researcher
. current affairs
. values and interests of society
. to update existing research
. opportunity
. to fill gaps in existing knowledge
. requirements of funding bodies e.g. government
What are the factors that influence choice of method?
. Practical factors
. Ethical factors
. Reliability
. Validity
. Example
. Representativeness
. Theoretical factors
. Sensitivity of topic
What practical factors influence choice of topic?
. cost
. time
. personal skills e.g. listening skills
. personal characteristics e.g. a man could not carry out covert participation observation on an all-girl gang
. access e.g. child labour in 1840 can only use secondary data
What are the ethical factors influencing choice of method?
. lack of informed consent
. deception
. breach of confidentiality
. invasion of privacy
. harm
What is the case study that exampled unethical research methods?
Humphreys: The Tea Room Trade
. studied casual sex between men in public lavatories
. used covert participant observation to watch the men, adopted the role of the ‘watchqueen’
. followed the men back to their cars and noted their license plates and asked a friend in the police to trace their address
. a year later he went to their houses claiming to conduct a ‘health survey’ and asked about their marital status
. he gained the confidence of some of the men to whom he revealed his identity as a researcher
. he persuaded some of the men to take part in an unstructured interview to discuss their lives and the motives for their actions
What is a social policy?
measures introduced by the state to deal with social issues such as family, unemployment, poverty, education, homelessness, crime, wealth
What are functionalists view on social policies?
. state serves the interests of society as a whole
. help to keep society working
. the role of sociologists is to provide the state with objective, scientific research to identify the causes of social problems
Who criticizes functionalists view of social policy and why?
Marxists argue policies are often defeated by wider structure of capitalism e.g. policies to improve education will not succeed unless the inequalities caused by capitalism are ended
What are social democrats view on social policy?
. want to reduce inequality by redistribution of wealth from rich to poor
. believe sociologists should be involved in researching social problems and offering policies to solve them
e.g. Townsend’s research on poverty recommended higher levels of benefit and greater public spending on health, education and welfare to help people get out of poverty
What are liberal feminists view on social policy?
. patriarchy can be ended through new state policies
. feminists research can help this
Why do radical feminists criticize liberal feminists?
Changing laws are not sufficient to end patriarchy and revolution is needed.
What are Marxists view on social policy?
. state policies only benefit the ruling class and capitalism
. policies appear to help the subject class but in reality maintain a false class consciousness
. Marxists argue sociologists should challenge state policies, not develop policies
What are radical feminists view on social policy?
. social policies do not end patriarchy e.g. rape within marriage
. the only solution is revolution through separatism and political lesbianism
