research methods

• Who are considered positivists in sociology?

  More 'scientific' sociologists
• What do positivists believe about behavior?

  It results from wider forces
• What type of data do positivists favor?

  Quantitative data
• How do interpretivists view sociology?

  As more artsy and emotional
• What is the focus of interpretivists in research?

  Understanding behavior from a small-scale perspective
• What type of data do interpretivists prefer?

  Qualitative data
• What is a criticism that positivists have about interpretivists?

  They have too much subjective data
• What defines reliability in research?

  Repeatability of results
• Why is reliability important for positivists?

  It fits with their scientific approach
• What does representativeness in research allow for?

  Generalization to the wider population
• What factors must be considered for a sample to be representative?

  Gender, ethnicity, age, and class
• What is validity in research?

  Accuracy of the data representation
• Why do interpretivists emphasize validity?

  It relates to small-scale research
• Why might researchers have to choose between validity and reliability?

  Standardized measures are hard with personal data
• What is primary data?

  First-hand data collected for research
• What is secondary data?

  Data already collected by others
• What are the three main factors sociologists consider when choosing a research method?

  Practical, ethical, and theoretical factors
• What are practical factors in research?

  Considerations like timing and finance
• What is an example of an ethical factor in research?

  Informed consent
• What are theoretical factors in research?

  Validity, reliability, and representativeness
• What is the first step in the research process?

  State an aim
• What does operationalizing key concepts involve?

  Defining concepts and measurement methods
• Why is sampling important in sociological research?

  To keep data representative
• What is a sampling frame?

  Parameters for selecting the research population
• What is quota sampling?

  Filling specific quotas for characteristics
• What is a disadvantage of quota sampling?

  May not provide an accurate sample
• What is random sampling?

  Picking names out of a hat
• What is a disadvantage of random sampling?

  May not represent all people
• What is stratified sampling?

  Selective group based on criteria
• What is an advantage of stratified sampling?

  High in representativeness
• What is systematic sampling?

  Selecting every nth participant
• What is a disadvantage of systematic sampling?

  Representativeness may be questionable
• What is snowball sampling?

  Accessing difficult groups through referrals
• What is a disadvantage of snowball sampling?

  Very unrepresentative
• What is opportunity sampling?

  Quick and easy participant selection
• What is a disadvantage of opportunity sampling?

  Very unrepresentative
• What defines an experiment in research?

  A situation with high control by the researcher
• What do researchers manipulate in experiments?

  Variables to discover cause-and-effect
• What are the two main types of experiments?

  Laboratory and field experiments
• What is a strength of laboratory experiments?

  Highly reliable with clear cause and effect