Topic 1: quantitative research methods Flashcards
what data do positivists prefer
numerical data
what data do interpretivists prefer
qualitative data
what type of study is the Hawthorne effect
behavioural study
what is the expectancy effect
researchers expect behaviours from participants
what is validity
is it true what you are measuring
what do positivists believe
- positivists like science
- model research method on natural science
- produce objective, true scientific knowledge
- they like cause and effect
what do interpretivists believe
- prefer qualitative data
- they like things that gives us a “feel” for what something is like
- they favour deeper meaning
what are the key features of Lab experiments
control and cause and effect
why is control a key feature of lab experiments
- lab experiments are in a controlled environment.
- lab is an artificial environment
- good to test hypothesis because you can change the variables
- subjects split into experimental (iv) and control group
why is cause and effect a key feature of lab experiments
- the conditions of both groups are measured before and after.
- discover cause and effect relationships
- this allows us to predict future outcomes
what do sociologists Keat and Urry suggest about open systems ? (practical issues)
lab experiments are only suitable for studying closed systems where the researchers control all the variables.
why are lab experiments unsuitable for studying social phenomena? (practical issues)
because society is an open system with countless variables
what is the practical issue of complexity
no two humans are alike, impossible to match experimental groups
what is the practical issue of studying the past
lab experiments cannot be used to study the events in the past.
cannot keep people in lab experiments for a long time
what type of samples can laboratory experiments study ? (practical issues)
can only study small samples e.g. impossible to study members of a major religion.
disadvantage of small samples (practical issues)
small samples risk the appearance of variables just being a chance correlations
what is the Hawthorn effect ? (practical issues)
1920s factory, subjects responding to the researcher rather than the variables
what are expectancy effect (practical issues)
experimenter bias what the researcher expects to happen can affect the outcome
what are the main ethical issues in conducting experiments on human beings
informed consent and harm subject
what is informed consent (ethical issue)
participants should be informed of the nature of the experiments, however, this is self-defeating as they may act differently.
what is harm to subjects (ethical issues)
some argue that minor harm can be justified to yield social benefits. if the experimental group are benefitting from treatment it should be given to the control group as well
what theoretical strengths do positivists believe lab experiments have
- reliability, experimenter can control the conditions, produces quantitative data so steps can be re-run
- very detached method.
- effects the way to test the hypothesis and make predictions
what theoretical limitations do positivist believe lab experiments have
- representativeness, lack external validity, due to only studying small samples and artificial conditions.
- internal validity, findings may not be true e.g. Hawthorne effect may produce invalid results
- interpretivists argue that humans are not robots have free will and can make their own choices
how are field experiments different to lab experiments
- takes into place the subjects surrounding
- those involved not know that they are subjects
strength of a field experiment
-avoids artificial conditions of lab experiments, much more nature and valid for life.
limitations of field experiment
- less control over variable cannot be certain that we have identified the real cause
examples of correspondence tests (field experiments)
Brown and Gay studied racial discrimination in the workplace, sent to 1000 applications from three ethnicities
why are field experiments seen as unethical
involve carrying out an experiment on subjects without their knowing or consent
what is the comparative method
-carried out only in the mind of the sociologist -“thought” . relies on re-analysing secondary data that has already been collected
strength of the comparative method
artificiality: avoids artificial conditions
past events: can be used to study the past
ethics; avoids harming subjects
limitation of comparative method
variables: less control over variables
what are close-ended questionnaires
- “force choice” questionnaire
- limited possible answers
- pre coded for analysis
what are open ended questionnaires
- free to answer how they choose to
- no pre-selected choices
practical strengths of questionnaires
- time and costs: quick and way to gather large amounts of data.
- no need for interviews.
- easy to quantify results.
practical limitations of questionaires
- validity- cannot be sure it was the respondent who completed the questionnaire
- response rates: can be low may need follow up questionnaires
- inflexible: cannot explore new areas of interest
theoretical positivists strengths of using hypothesis testing?
- enables sociologists to identify cause and effect relationships. establish correlations the construct hypothesis
- reliability: use of Q’s identical to the original one. “standardised measuring instrument”. can’t be checked by another researcher
- representativeness: large scale, cover wide geographical areas. use sophisticated sampling techniques
theoretical interpretivists limitations of questionnaires-
- detachments must use methods that involve us closely with people we research to get a valid picture. . cannot clarify questions e.g., cultural differences
- lying/forgotten: Schofield “are you a virgin” to “no not yet”. try to second guess or give a respectable answer impossible to tell whether they are telling the truth.
examples of statistics?
registration: births
official survey: census/general house survey
admin records: held by hospitals, courts and schools
what type of method is statistics?
quantitative method
what are the practical advantages of official statistics?
costs: free sources of huge data
power: the state has the power to compel people to answer, reduces low response rate
comparisons: compare social groups and religions
trends: show patterns over time
what are the practical disadvantages of official statistics?
Agender: government creates statistics for it’s own purposes, also may be non available.
Inaccuracy: two sets of data may cover different populations
Definitions: may differ / change from those sociologists use
what are the theoretical issues that positivists have with official statistics?
representativeness: large scale and often cover the whole populations, great care is taken from sampling selections e.g. crime survey 38,000
however, census coders may make errors or public may not fill in form correctly.
what are the theoretical issues that positivists have with official statistics?
social constructs: statistics are not real, represent labels attached to people.
soft statistics: admin records, less valid as they represent decisions e.g. schools decision of what truancy is.
hard statistics: more valid, little dispute how categorises are defined and legal requirements
