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Sociology - Education with special links to research methods > Topic 7 - Research Methods > Flashcards

Topic 7 - Research Methods Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is a Lab experiment

A

These are experiments that take place in controlled environments and aim to use the scientific method to test a specific hypothesis. This is then used to find a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables. (positivists)

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2
Q

P advantages and disadvantages of Lab Experiments

A

advantages
-Attractive to funding bodies due to their scientific nature.
-Researchers can easily conduct the experiment as respondents come to them, so they don’t have to travel

disadvantages
-Often small scale
-Time consuming
- cannot be used to study the past

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3
Q

E advanatges and disadvantages of Lab Experiments

A

adavtanges
-If informed consent is given, no deception is involved

disadvantges
-Many experiments often conceal the real aims of the research.
-Therefore, informed consent is not always fully given.

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4
Q

T advantges and disadvnatges of Lab experiments

A

advantages
-Highly reliable, as variables are easily controlled, produces quantitative data and is a very detached and objective method

disadvantges
-Lack validity due to ‘Hawthorne Effect’
-As they’re small scale, they’re often not representative.

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5
Q

Lab experiments exmaple:

A

Milgram - Obedience to Authority - electric shock experiment (1974)

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6
Q

What is a Field experiment

A

Researchers manipulate an independent variable and measure a dependent variable in the natural environment.

Interpretivists

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7
Q

P advatntages and disadtanges of feild experiements

A

advatnges
-Larger scale research than lab experiments

disadvatnges
-Less control over variables
-Few situations can be adapted to become field experiments
-lack of research opportunity

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8
Q

E advatnges and disadvantges of feild experiments

A

-Possibly less hierarchical than lab experiments

-Deception
-Lack of informed consent

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9
Q

T advatnges and disadvantes of feild experiments

A

-Less artificial
-Highly valid

-Lower reliability in comparison to lab experiments

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10
Q

Example of feild experiemnts

A

Rosethal and Jacobson - Pygmalion in the classroom (1968)

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11
Q

What are questionares

A

A set list of questions, asked in the same way every time. They are usually self-completion but can be done over the phone or face-to-face Usually consist of mainly closed questions which creates quantitative data. Can have open questions as well
positivists

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12
Q

P advantages and disadvantges of questionares

A

-Quick and cheap to carry out
-Can be sent to respondents in a variety of ways e.g. email, post, phone call
-Gather large quantities of data
- access to subjects is easy
-easy to quantify the results

-May have a low response rate
-People may not be honest when filling it out
-Questions are inflexible, unlike unstructured interviews
-Only ‘snapshots’ of reality in one moment in time

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13
Q

E advatnges and disadvantages of questionares

A

-Informed consent given
-Neither researcher or respondents are put at any risk

-May ask sensitive/intrusive questions

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14
Q

T advatnges and disadvantages of questionaress

A

-Highly reliable
-Highly representative as they study a large sample
-Positivists argue they are objective and scientific as the sociologist’s personal involvement is kept to a minimum.

-Not very high in validity
-Questions asked may impose the researcher’s meanings
- representativeness may be undermined by low response rates

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15
Q

exmaple of questionaress

A

2011 census

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16
Q

What is a structred interview

A

An interview that follows a list of pre-set questions Interviewees choose from a limited list of possible answers They are usually done face-to-face or over the phone.Usually consist of mainly closed-ended questions which creates quantitative data
positivists

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17
Q

P advantages and disadvantges of structured interview

A

-Relatively quick to carry out as there are fixed questions
-can cover quite large numbers of people because they are quick and fairly cheap to administer
-Results are easily quantified because they use closed-ended questions with pre-coded answers.

-Employing and training interviewers is costly
-Research subjects may not be open
-Inflexible - makes it impossible for the interviewer to pursue any interesting leads that may emerge.

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18
Q

E advnatges and disadvantges of structured interviews

A

-Informed consent given
-Neither researcher or respondents are put at any risk

-Sensitive questions may be asked which can cause ‘psychological harm’.

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19
Q

T advnatges and disadvantes of structured intervioews

A

-Highly reliable due to fixed questions
-Larger scale than unstructured interviews, making it more representative

-Lacking validity due to fixed questions

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20
Q

exmaple of structured interview

A

Young and Wilmott - Family and Kinship in East London (1962)

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21
Q

What are unstructured interviews

A

An interview that asks mainly open-ended questions. There are no fixed set to ask every person. They produce qualitative meaningful data Guided by the interviewee as well as the interviewer Free-flowing, so similar to a natural conversation A strong relationship is built between the interviewer and interviewee
interpretivists

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22
Q

P advatnges and disadvantges of unstructured interview

A

-Easy to carry out, as it just like a conversation
-Cheap to carry out

-Time consuming compared to qualitative methods
-Requires good interpersonal skills

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23
Q

E advatages and disadvantges of unstructured interviews

A

-Good for sensitive topics
-Less hierarchical than structured interviews

-In depth answers makes there more potential to harm respondent if confidentiality is harmed.

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24
Q

T advantges and disadvantes of unstaructured interviews

A

-Highly valid as interviewer builds a rapport with interviewee
-Researcher can adapt questions based on the responses they’re getting

-Typically, lowly reliable
-Not very representative

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25
Q

Example of unstructured interviews

A

Dobash and Dobash - Violence Against Wives (1980)

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26
Q

What are group interviews

A

the researcher talks to a group of people at the same time, rather than discussing with individuals.
interpretivists

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27
Q

P advantges and disaadvnatges of group interviews

A

Saves time talking to a large group of people at the same time.

Researcher will have to be trained to know how to work with a group.

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28
Q

Ethical advnatges and disadvbatges of group interviews

A

People may be more open to share with others who feel similarly about a certain topic

Deception may have to be involved

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29
Q

T advantages and disadvnatges of group interviews

A

reliable as can be repeated with same people

Lack of validity due to social desirability

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30
Q

Example of group interviews

A

Willis - Learning to Labour (1977)

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31
Q

What are semi structured interviews

A

A semi-structured interview is one where the interviewer does have a list of questions they intend to ask, but they are happy to ask supplementary questions if required or to leave out questions if deemed necessary.
interpretivists

32
Q

P advabtges and disadvatges of semi structured interviews

A

Training in needed to be able to guide the interview and decide when supplementary questions are necessary.

33
Q

E advantages and disdavnatges of semi structured interviews

A

Questions can be left out to avoid trauma affecting validity

Deception may have to be involved. May be harmful.

34
Q

T advatnges and disadvnatges of semi structured interviews

A

Validity can be increased with follow up questions.

Not reliable as the questions may not be planned so cannot repeat them.

35
Q

examples of semi structured inerviews

A

Archer - Race, masculinity and schooling (2003)

36
Q

What is non participant observation

A

The researcher observes
from a distance/ without
taking part

37
Q

P adcanatges and disadvantges of non particpant

A

They generally use a small-scale research sample. Less time.

38
Q

E advantgaes and disadvantges of non participant

A

There is limited risk of the researcher ‘going native’. Losing objectivity.

39
Q

T advnatges and disavnatges of non partcipant

A

There is limited risk of the researcher ‘going native’. Lowering validity.

Each observation will be subjective, and therefore the
results cannot be repeated.
They generally use a small-scale research sample.less representable.

40
Q

Example of non particpant observation

A

ofstead inspection

41
Q

what is particpant observation

A

The researcher takes part
in the observation or in the
participants life

42
Q

P advantges and disadvantge of particpant observation

A

Data generated is rich in detail and offers insight
into social behaviour. Details may take longer.

43
Q

E advnatges and disadvantges of particpant observation

A

Informed consent not given
The hawthorne ii identifies with the group, conflicting interests

44
Q

T advantges and disadvnatges of particpant observation

A

Groups are observed in a natural and authentic
setting, therefore the data is more likely to be a true
account of the group’s behaviour.
Data generated is rich in detail and offers insight
into social behaviour.

45
Q

Example of particpant observation

A

Venkatesh Gang Leader of a day

46
Q

what is covert observation

A

where the researcher is “undercover”; the participants are unaware that they are being observed.

47
Q

P advanatgesa nd didasvantges of covert observation

A

Takes a long time to take on a role, learn the language and behaviour.
Group may be hard to access - deviant groups eg
Researcher has to gain trust and acceptance (this may be time consuming).

48
Q

E advantges and disadvnatges of covert observation

A

Ethical issues - it is immoral to deceive people.

49
Q

T advantges and diasdvantges of covert observation

A

No hawthorne effect then higher validity

50
Q

Examples of covert observation

A

Humphreys - The Tearoom Trade (1970)

51
Q

What is overt observation

A

where those being observed are aware of the fact.

52
Q

P advantgesa nd diasvantges of overt ovservation

A

They can be relatively time consuming.
Takes less time than covert where a role has to be learnt

53
Q

E advbatges and disadvnatges of overt observation

A

Less ethical issues than covert because the participants know they are being researched

54
Q

T advnatges and disadvantges of overt observations

A

Higher level of reliability than covert.
The observer can openly take notes increasing validity.
Difficult to repeat.
Usually a small sample size, decreasing represnetibaily.

55
Q

Example of overt observations

A

Venkatesh Gang Leader of a day

56
Q

what are official statistsics

A

Official statistics are statistics published by government agencies or other public bodies

57
Q

P advnatges and diasadvantages of official statitics

A

-free source
-statistics allow comparisons between groups
-because they are collected at regular intervals, they show trends and patterns over time.

-data may not be available on the topics we’re interested in
-the definitions that the state uses in collecting data may be different from those of the sociologist would use.- makes comparisons difficult.

58
Q

E advnatges and dosadvantages of official statistics

A

-statistics have already been complied so any ethical issues would have been taken care of.

-the collection of statistics may have harmful effects
-the collection of statistics may be about surveillance and control

59
Q

T advantages and disadvnatges of offical statics

A

-as they cover very large numbers they’re often very representative. E.g. statistics gathered by compulsory registration like births and deaths
-highly reliable

-statistics produced from official surveys, may be less representative because they are only based on a sample of the relevant population.
-Validity is questionable - ‘soft’ statistics are less valid.

60
Q

Example of official statistcs

A

Census

Ofsted and DofE statistics on education

Official crime statistics

ONS

61
Q

What are public documents

A

Public or official documents are documents created by organisations such as government departments, businesses, and charities. They are usually in the form of reports and are available for public inspection by anyone who is interested.

62
Q

P advantages and diasdvantges of public documents

A

Takes no time
Easily accessible online
Absolutely free

It may take a lot of time to go through the documents if they are in-depth.

63
Q

E advnatges and doisadvnatge of public documents

A

No ethical issues as they are publically available

64
Q

T advantges and disadvatages of public documents

A

High validity as they are from official governing bodies.
Reliable, like the census repeated each year. They may be representative of a wider population e.g. a government inquiry into the standard of prisons is likely to represent the prison population.

May not be that valid as the data may not reflect the exact research subject.

65
Q

exmaple of public documents

A

Ofsted Reports

Black report

66
Q

what are personal documents

A

These are written documents that were created with the intention of keeping them to oneself or to show to certain trusted individuals. Personal documents generally express personal thoughts and feelings and thus are not intended for public viewing.

67
Q

P advantges and disadvantages of personal documents

A

They can be easy to access if the owner(s) are willing to reveal them.

Going through personal documents may be time-consuming.

68
Q

E advantages and disadvantages of personal documents

A

There are access issues as those with personal documents may not be willing to share them.
As they were not intended for public viewing (or in the case of diaries, anyone at all), there are ethical issues in studying personal documents.

69
Q

T advanatges and disadvantges of personal documents

A

As they are written to express thoughts and feelings, they give in-depth insights into the authors’ perspectives. They are therefore high in validity.
Low validity - The subjective nature of personal documents means there is likely to be interpretational bias when considering the meaning of the documents.
Personal documents may not always contain the truth; this undermines their validity.

70
Q

Examples of personal documents

A

The diary of Anne Frank

71
Q

What are historical documents

A

Historical documents are documents from the past. They are categorised mainly by their time of creation; as such, they can include official documents (such as past government inquiries), or personal documents (such as letters).

72
Q

P advnatges and disavantges of historical documents

A

Public historical documents, such as records and reports, may be easily accessible.
It can be difficult to find or access some historical documents

73
Q

E advnatges and disadvnatges of historical documents

A

Historical private documents present ethical issues - issues as those with personal documents may not be willing to share them.

74
Q

T advnatges and disadvnatges of historical documents

A

Validity issues It may be difficult to verify the authenticity of some historical documents. For example, the author or the purpose of the document may be unknown.
Words and meanings change over time; this can affect the interpretation of the information.

75
Q

Example of historical documents

A

Aries - Centuries of childhood (1960) looked at medieval paintings

Sociology - Education with special links to research methods (8 decks)

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