Sociology Research Methods

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What is meant by the term secondary data?
Data which already exists, which can then be used by the researcher
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What is meant by the term data?
Information collected as part of a research project
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What is meant by the primary data?
New data produced by the researcher during the research process
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What is meant by the term quantitative data?
Numerical data
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What is meant by the term qualitative data?
All types of data that is not in the form of numbers
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What is meant by the term validity?
Data which presents a true and accurate description or movement
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What is meant by the term reliability?
When different researchers use the same methods and obtain the same results
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What is meant by the term interpretivism?
An approach which focuseson the meanings and definitions which guide and direct behaviour
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What is meant by the term positivism?
An approach which attempts to explain behaviour in terms of cause ad effect relationships
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What is meant by the term covert observations?
Participants are unaware that that they are being observed as part of a research project
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What is meant by the term ethics?
Beliefs about what is right and wrong
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What is meant by the term hypothesis?
A statement that can be tested about the relationship between the two variables
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What is meant by the term variables?
Factors which affect behaviour and can vary or change
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What is meant by the term replication?
Repeating an experiment or research study under the same conditions
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What is meant by the term correlation?
A measurement of strength of the realtionhip between two or more variables
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What is meant by the term labrotary experiments?
An experiment concluded in specially built surroundings
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What is meant by the term field experiments?
An experiment conducted in everyday social settings
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What is meant by the term experimental effect?
Any unintended effect of the experiment on a participant
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What is meant by the term Hawthorne effect?
changes in behaviour of participants resulting from an awareness that they are taking part in an experiment
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What is meant by the term experimenter bias?
The unintended effec of the experimenter on the participant
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What is meant by the term social surveys?
Systematic collection of the same type of data from a particular population
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What is meant by the term sample?
A selection from the research population
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What is meant by the term sampling unit?
A member of the research population
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What is meant by the term sampling frame?
A list of members of the research population
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What is neant by the term random sampling?
A sample which gives every member of the sampling frame an equal chance of being selected
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What is meant by the term systematic sampling?
A systematic seection of people fromthe sampling frame
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What is meant by the term stratified sampling?
A sample which attempts to reflect particular characteristics of the researc population
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What is meant by the term snowball sample?
Members of the group select each other
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What is meant by the term volunteer sample?
Members of the sample are self-selected
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What is meant by the term response rate?
The percentage of the sample that participates in the research
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What is meant by the term self-completion questionnaire?
A questionnaire completed by the respondents
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What is meant by the term structured interviews?
A questionnaire read out by the interviewer who also records the answers
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What is meant by the term operationaisle?
Translating concepts into various catergories
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What is meant by the term coding?
Classifying answers to various catergories
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What is meant by the term open-questions?
Questions which allowsthe respondents to anwer in their own words
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What is meant by the term closed-questions?
Questions in which the range of responders is fixed by the researcher
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What is meant by the term postal questionnaires?
A questionnaire mailed to the respondents with a request to mail it back after completion
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What is meant by the term pilot study?
A plelminary study designed to identify the problems with the main study
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What is meant b the term semi-structured interviews?
Interviewer is not allowed to probe with additional questions
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What is meant by the term unstructured interviews?
A few pre-set questions wih certain topics the researcher wishes to cover
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What is meant by the term group inteviews?
Interviews which involves an interviewer and a group of respondents
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Wht i meant by the term focus groups?
Group interviews in which the interviewer encourages respondents to discuss topics with each other
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What is meant by the term interviewer bias?
The effect that the interviewer has on respondent's answers
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What is meant by the term rapports?
A friendly, trusting and understanding relatioships
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What is meant by the term participant observations?
The researher participates in the activities of those he or she is observing
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What is meant by the term ethnography?
The study of the way of life of a group of people
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What is meant by the term overt observations?
The identity of the researher and purpose of the research are made clear to those being studied
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What is meant by the term key informant?
A member of the group being observed who develops a close relationship with the researcher
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What is meant by the term non-participant obserations?
the researcher observes, but does not participate in the activities of those being studied
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What i meant by the term offical statistics?
Statistics produced by local an nationa government, government agencies and organisations funded by the government
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What is meant by the term formal content analysis?
A method which seeksto classify an quantify the content of a document
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What is meant by the term thematic analysis?
A method which seeks to identify the themes, motive and ideologies which underline a document
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What is meant by the term textual analysis?
A method which closely examines the 'text' of a document to see how it encourages a particular reading and creates a particular impression
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What i meant by the term audience research?
An investigation of audience understanding and response to documents
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What is meant by the term triangulation?
Combining different research methods and different types of data in order to check the validity and reliability of findings
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What is meant by the term methodological pluralism?
Combining different research methods and different kinds of data in order to build up a fuller picture of social life
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What is meant by the term comparative studies?
Studies which make comparisons between societies and different groups within the same society
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Which theoritcalists woul use experiments?
Positivists would use it because they can get quantitative data out of the results so they can get patterns. They usually use lab experiments
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What are the characteristis of structured interviews?
Fixed list of questions, verbal face-to-face delivery of a questionnaire, data can be analsyed for trends and statistical correlations, resulting data can be presented in quantittative form and set range of response catergories
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What are the advantages of structured interviews?
High in reliability/replicability, fixed response catergories produce quantitative data, pre-coded questions enable data to be placed on computer, patterns trends and statistical correlations can be identified from this data
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amylouise_

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Great revision materials but difficult to understand as a lot of spelling mistakes

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