sociology - research methods

• reliable research can be repeated to obtain the exact same results
• valid data provides a true and accurate picture of what is trying to be measured
• invalid research may be due to lying, exaggeration, forgotten details or misinterpretation
• representative samples of the population is used in order to be more accurate and reflective
• representative samples take class, age, gender and ethnicity into account
• sociologists aim to be objective
• primary data is collected first hand
• PD includes questionaires, interviews, observation and experiments
• PD doesn't rely on other sociologists and is up to date
• PD can be expensive, time consuming, unethical without informed consent, cause biases and may put researchers in difficult situations
• secondary data is pre existing information
• SD includes statistics, diaries, letters, memoirs, emails, TV documentaries and newspapers
• SD is quick and easy to collect, easy to compare data, more accurate, do not breach ethical issues and cheap
• SD may be invalid or difficult to find and some researchers may have used bias in their analysis of data
• quantitive data is numbers and statistics and can easily be graphed
• Quantative data - advantages

  hypothesis can be tested, trends can be seen, easy to analyse, can be repeated to test reliability and allows large samples
• quantative data - disadvantages

  statistics can hide reality if questions aren't accurate, statistics don't provide a reason
• qualitative data is subjective data that is based on opinions, feelings, and experiences.
• qualitative data - advantages

  insight into social interactions, detailed, no forced/ artificial categories and allows trust to be formed and research sensitive topics
• qualitative data - disadvantages

  difficult to repeat, not reliable, small scale and not representative, subjective and open to interpretation
• positivism looks at macro sociology and institutions
• positivism creates quantitive data and are interested in cause and effect relationships
• positivism analyses external processes to create objective and reliable data
• interpretivisits look at individuals (also known as interactions) known as micro sociology
• interpretivists believe you need empathy to understand human behaviour and want to discover meaning, motives and reason
• Interpretvists use subjective research and use qualitative data
• practical issues - time 


  may be time consuming to collect data, especially where workload cannot be shared
• practical issues - money 


  this affects length method and reliability of research and can be harder to organise
• practical issues - researchers 


  specific samples for sensitive topics may restrict the amount of researchers available
• practical issues - access and opportunity

  some research may not be accessible to find an accurate sample
• Ethical issues such as consent, where participants must give consent to take part in research
• ethical issues such as avoidance of deception, where researchers must be open and honest about research
• ethical issues such as confidentiality
• ethical issues such as avoidance of harm, where participants should not be mentally or physically harmed
• uninformed may happen when those without mental capacity may not be able to understand research
• covert studies: may be carried out with gangs, research on sensitive or taboo topics
• Laud humpheries - tea room trade (1970) investigated homosexual activities in public places, which was a covert study as most people were secretive about sexuality at the time.m However, laud gained the groups trust and assured confidentiality to make research valid
• Milgram (1974) - told researchers to electrically shock patients if they responded incorrectly to questions on a memory test.
• Milgram's test gave an insight into how ready pope were to obey authority, giving an insight into why some people commit war crimes and mass genocide
• Milgrams test may have caused severe mental destress for both patients and researchers