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sociology A-level year 12 > Topic 3 Research- Experiment > Flashcards

Topic 3 Research- Experiment Flashcards

1
Q

What is the logic of the experimental method

A

That the scientific manipulates (alters) the variables in which they are interested in, in order to discover what effect they have

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2
Q

By following the experimental method, what can scientists establish

A

A cause and effect relationship

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3
Q

Lab experiments

What does the cause and effect relationship allow them to predict

A

Accurately what will happen in the future under specified conditions

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4
Q

Lab experiments

What happens with the experimental group

A

The quantity of the variables could be varied, carefully measuring and recording any changes

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5
Q

Lab experiments

What happens with the control group

A

The quantity of the variables are consistent

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6
Q

Lab experiments

What is the independent variable (cause or effect)?

A

Causal factor

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7
Q

Lab experiments

What is the dependent variable, the cause or effect?

A

The effect, since it depends on the first variable

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8
Q

Lab experiments

Once a lab experiment has been done …

Key words: replicate, reliable, same steps

A

Other researchers can replicate it following exactly the same steps, therefore the method is reliable producing the same results each time

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9
Q

Lab experiments

As this is a very detached method …

A

The researcher merely manipulates the variables and records the results. The scientist’s personal feelings and opinions have no effect on the conduct of the outcome of the experiment

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10
Q

Lab experiments

Which sociologists use this method

A

Positivists, who see sociology as science ad it is an objective way to conduct research modelled on scientific methodology

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11
Q

Lab experiments

What is the practical reason for why even positivists rarely use lab experiments

A

-society is very complex and it would be impossible to identify, let alone control all the variables that might impact on behaviour (if people know that they are being researched they might change their behaviour)

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12
Q

Lab experiments- practical reason

What does the small scale nature reduce

A

The representativeness as they can only ever be based on small samples

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13
Q

Lab experiments- theoretically

What doubts do sociologists have

A

Doubts about using experiments in human social research as they see them as artificial environments producing artificial results. A lab is not a normal or natural environment and therefore it is unlikely that behaviour in these conditions is true to life and valid

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14
Q

Lab experiments

What is the Hawthorn Effect

A

If people know they are being studied, this knowledge is likely to impact on their behaviour by changing it

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15
Q

Field experiments

Where do they take place

A

In the subject’s natural surroundings such as school, rather than an artificial environment to make the research more valid and realistic

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16
Q

Field experiments

What is done to avoid the Hawthorn Effect

A

Those involved are generally not aware that they are taking part in an experiment

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17
Q

Field experiments

What do some sociologists argue about people not knowing that they are being studied

A

If is unethical

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18
Q

Field experiments

As these are more realistic …

A

There is less scope for control over the variables that might be operating

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19
Q

Comparative method

Where is this method carried out

A

In the mind of the sociologist.

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20
Q

Comparative method

What type of experiment is it

A

A ‘thought experiment’ and does not involve the researcher actually experimenting on real people at all

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21
Q

Comparative method

What is this method used to discover

A

Cause and effect relationships

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22
Q

Comparative method

How does the Comparative method work (2)

A

(A) Identify two groups of people that are alike in all major respects except for one variable we are interested in

(B) Then compare the two groups to see if this one difference between them has any effect

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23
Q

Comparative method

What is good about this experiment

A

It is ethical- it avoids artificiality and can be used to study past things

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24
Q

Comparative method

What is good about this method

A

It gives the researcher even less control over variables than do field experiments, so we can be even less certain whether this method has really discovered the cause of something

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25
Q

2 criticisms of field experiments

A
  • difficult to control variables

- many people do not know they are being researched which may be seen as unethical

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26
Q

Lab experiments in education

What did Harvey and Slatin examine

A

-teacher’s preconceived ideas about pupils of different social classes

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27
Q

Lab experiments in education

What was the experiment that Harvey and Slatin carried out

A

-a sample of 96 teachers were shown 18 pictures of children from different social classes and were asked to rate them on their performance, aspirations etc

28
Q

Lab experiments in education

What did Harvey and Slatin find out from their research (about what the teachers did)

A

-they found that teachers, particularly more experienced ones rated WC children less favourably and based their ratings on the similarities they perceived between the children in the photos and the pupils they taught

29
Q

Lab experiments in education

What did the research by Harvey and Slatin illustrate about teachers

A

That leachers label pupils from different social classes and use these labels to pre-judge pupil’s potential

30
Q

Lab experiments in education

What did research by Mason study

A

Research by Mason studied the impact of positive and negative expectations

31
Q

Lab experiments in education

Explain Mason’s research

A

-teachers were given positive, negative or neutral reports on a pupil, they then observed video footage of the pupil taking a test and were asked to predict the pupil’s end of year atfainment

32
Q

Lab experiments in education

What did Mason find out from his research on teachers

A

That negative reports had a much greater impact than the positive ones on teacher’s expectations

33
Q

Lab experiments in education

What is the ethical concern

A

researchers play a limited role in educational research due to the ethical concerns raised with working with young pupils. Most do not involve real pupils so have fewer ethical implications

34
Q

Lab experiments in education

What is the narrow focus

A

Researchers usually only examine one specific aspect of behaviour, such as teacher expectations. This can be useful as it allows the researcher to isolate and examine the variable more throughly but it often results in too narrow a focus

35
Q

Lab experiments in education

What are the practical problems (3)

A
  • there are problems in conducting experiments on issues such as teacher’s expectations
  • in practise it is impossible to identify, let alone control all the variables that might exert an influence on teacher’s expectations
  • some educational issues cannot be studied in small scale lab settings
36
Q

Lab experiments in education

What is wrong with it artificially

A

The artificiality means that they tell us little about the real world

37
Q

Field experiments

Where did Rosenthal and Jacobson do their research

A

They carried out their research in a California primary school and it was designed to test labelling and the self fulfilling prophecy

38
Q

Field experiments

  • What are the ethical problems
  • Rosenthal and Jacobson’s experiment
  • when do field experiments work best
  • what does this require
A
  • The potential impact of an experiment such as Rosenthal and Jacobson’s on the pupils involved can be of great concern.
  • Such experiment would be unlikely to be given permission to be conducted today.
  • Field experiments work best when those involved are unaware that they are in an experiment. However, this requires deception
39
Q

Field experiments

Reliability (explain)

A

Rosenthal and Jacobson’s study was easy to repeat within 5 years it had been repeated 242 times, however it cannot be replicated due to the differences in teachers and pupils involved

40
Q

Field experiments

Broader focus (explain)

A

However, Rosenthal and Jacobson were able to study a number of factors such as teachers’ expectations, labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy rather than just examining single elements in isolation

41
Q

What are questionnaires

A

Pre-determined questions

42
Q

How can questionnaires be administered

A

By hand, post or online

43
Q

What are the 2 types of questions that can asked in questionnaires

A
  • closed questions (yes or no qs)
  • open questions (which ask the respondent to answer in their own words without any predetermined options. Space is left to allow freedom and detail
44
Q

Questionnaires

Open questions allow what type of data …

A

Qualitative data

45
Q

Questionnaires

What level of analysis can this be used for

A

For a macro level of analysis and for generating quantitative data

46
Q

Questionnaires

Which sociologists would this be mostly be used by

A

Positivists

47
Q

Questionnaires

When may interpretivists use this method

A

Only if they are compelled to do so by practical factors such as a funding body makes them use this method

48
Q 
Advantages of questionnaires 
Practical advantages 
-quick and cheap
-respondents
-quantifying data
A
  • quick and cheap way of gathering large amounts of data from a large sample
  • respondents complete and return the questionnaires themselves, therefore there is no need to recruit and train interviewees or observers
  • the data is easy to quantify, particularly where pre-coded, closed questions are used can be processed quickly by computer to identify relationships between variables
49
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Reliability
-standardised for researcher

A

-questionnaires are a standardised and fixed yardstick that can be used by any researcher; all respondents are given identical instructions, asked exactly the same questions, in the same order, with the same options for answers. Therefore, the research can be easily repeated

50
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Reliability
-differences in answers

A

Differences in answers can be assumed to be a reflection of real differences between respondents and not simply the result of different questions, or how they have been asked. With postal and online questionnaires, unlike interviews, there is no researcher present, to influence the respondents answers

51
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Reliability
-researcher’s study

A

-one researcher’s study can be easily repeated and checked and comparisons can be made

52
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Hypothesis testing
-what are they useful for

A

-useful for testing hypotheses about cause and effect relationships

53
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Hypothesis testing- who are these particularly attractive to

A

They are attractive to positivists, because they enable possible causes to be identified as they take a scientific approach, seeking to discover laws of cause and effect

54
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Detachment and objectivity

A

-positivists also favour questionnaires as they are a detached and objective method, where the sociologist’s personal involvement with their respondents is kept to a minimum

55
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Detachment and objectivity- what type of questionnaires is this common in

A

Online and postal questionnaires

56
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Representativeness

A

-the results of questionnaires stand a better chance of being truly representative as they collect information from a large sample of people. Furthermore, researchers who use questionnaires are more likely to try to obtain a representative sample, allowing the findings to be generalised to the wider target population

57
Q

Advantages of questionnaires

Ethical issues

A

Although questionnaires may ask intrusive or personal questions, respondents are under no obligation to answer and their anonymity is guaranteed; therefore they pose fewer ethical issues than most other methods

58
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Practical problems
-limited data

A

-the data from questionnaires tends to be limited and superficial- this is because they tend to be brief to ensure that respondents to complete and return them. This limits the amount of information that can be gathered

59
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Practical problems

  • incentives
  • no guarantee
A
  • it may sometimes be necessary to offer incentives to persuade respondents to participate
  • with postal or online questionnaires, the research cannot guarantee that the potential respondent actually received the questionnaire or whether a returned questionnaire was actually completed by the person it was addressed to
60
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Low response rate

  • what is this v common with
  • those who return their questionnaires …
A
  • common with postal questionnaires
  • those who do return their questionnaires may be different from those who do not- if the respondents are different from non-respondents then the results will be distorted and unrepresentative from which no valid generalisations can be made
61
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Inflexibility

A

-they are inflexible as new areas of interest come up in the research cannot be explored- this can be contrasted to unstructured interviews, where the researcher can ask new questions if they seem relevant

62
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Snapshot picture

A

They provide a picture of social reality at one point in time; the moment when questions are completed. Therefor me they do not provide a fully valid picture, because they do not capture the way people’s attitudes and behaviour change. This snapshot contrasts with the moving picture of social life that can be gained from participant observation

63
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Detachment
-what do interpretivists argue

A

That data from questionnaires lacks validity and does not give a true picture of what has been studied as they do not allow the sociologist to get close to the subjects that they study and share their meanings

64
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Detachment
-what do interpretivists believe

A

That research should enable the sociologist to put themselves in the subject’s place and see the world through their eyes

65
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

What does detachment mean

A

The researcher and respondent have no contact- if the respondent does not understand a question then they cannot get help

66
Q

Disadvantages of questionnaires

Imposing the researcher’s meanings

-what do interpretivists argue

A

That questionnaires are more likely to impose the researcher’s own meanings than reveal those of the respondent; by choosing which questions to ask, how to ask them, predetermined options for answering, they have decided what is important

(They can determine whether the respondent should only say yes or no etc)

sociology A-level year 12 (20 decks)

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