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39 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Positivism
the belief that society is made up of "social facts" that can be studied scientifically to discover laws of cause and effect. With such such knowledge, sociologists would be able to find solutions to social problems
Interpretivism
a term covering a range of perspectives including interactionism. Interpretivists focus on how we construct social worlds through the meanings we create and attach to events, actions and situations. Favour qualitative methods and see human beings as fundamentally different from the natural phenomena studied by scientists, in that we have free will, conciousness and choice
Primary Data
information collected first hand by sociologists themselves for their own research purpose - e.g. Participant observation, social surveys and experiments
Secondary Data
information collected not by sociologists themselves for their own research purposes, but by other people or organisations for non-sociological purposes - e.g. offical statistics, media and personal documents
Quantitative Data
information in numerical form - e.g. percentages, tables and graphs
Qualitative Data
information, usually expressed in words, about people's thoughts, feelings, motivations, attitudes, values etc.
Hypothesis
an untested theory or explanation, expressed as a statement - sociologists seek to prove or disprove hypothesis by testing them against the evidence
Reliability
research has to produce exactly the same results when repeated using identical methods and procedures.
Validity
capacity of a research method to measure what it sets out to measure; a true or genuine picture of what something is really like
Triangulation
the use of two or more different methods or sources of data so that they complement each othe the strengths of one countering the weaknesses of the other and vice versa
Experiments
a test carried out to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between two or more variables
Control Group
scientists compare the experimental group with a group that is identical inall respects, except the control group isn't exposed to the variable under investigation so it provides a baseline against which anychanges in the e.group can be compared
Variable
any factor that can change or vary - e.g. age, gender, occupation and income
Independent Variable
the variable that the experimenter changes
Dependent Variable
the variable that the experimenter measures
Correlation
when two or more factors or variables vary together - however, doesn't prove and cause-and-effect relationship
Laboratory Experiment
a test carried out in controlled conditions in an artificial setting (laboratory) to establish cause-and-effect relationship between two or more variables
Field Experiment
carried out in a natural setting (e.g. street, workplace) not a laboratory
Comparative Method
research method that compares two social groups that are alike apart from one factor
Hawthorne Effect
where subjects of a research study know they are being studied and begin to behave differently as a result, thereby undermining the study's validity
Social Surveys
any research method that involves systematically collecting information from a group of people by asking them questions - e.g. questionnaires or structured interviews which are standardised
Operationalising Concepts
turning a sociological concept or theory into something measurable
Pilot Study
a small-scale trial run conducted before the main study, to iron out any problems, clarify questions and wording, give interviewers practice, etc.
Sample
smaller group from the larger survey population to take part in the study
Sampling Frame
the list of people from which a sample for a social survey is selected, it should list all the members of the survey population that the sociologist is interested in studying, though this is not always possible
Closed-ended Questions
questions used in a social survey that allow only a limited choice of answers from a pre-set list, produces quantitative data and answers are often pre-coded for ease of analysis
Open-ended Questions
questions in a social survey that allow respondents to answer as they wish in their own words, answers are harder to analyse because they cannot be pre-coded
Response Rate
proportion of those people included in a social survey who actually reply or respond to the questions asked
Interviews
a method of gathering information by asking questions orally, either face-to-face or by telephone
Structured Interviews
use pre-set, standardised, usuall closed-ended questions producing quantitative data
Unstructured Interviews
more like guided conversations and use open-ended questions producing qualitative data.
Semi-structured Interviews
open-ended and closed-ended questions are asked
Interview Schedule
the list of questions to be asked in an interview, it allows some standardisation of the interviewing process
Participant Observation
a primary research method in which the sociologist studies a group by taking a role within it and participating in its activities
Non-Participant Observation
a primary research method where the observer records events without taking part in them
Covert Observation
where the sociologist's identity and purpose are kept a secret
Overt Observation
where other participants are aware of the researcher's true identity and motive
Secondary Data
information collected not by sociologists themselves for thier own purpose, but by other people or organisations for non-sociological purposes
Official Statistics
quantitative data collected by the government either through registration - e.g. birth cerificates - or official surveys - e.g. census.