Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
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.
|