Save
...
Paper 3
Theory and Methods
3.1 - Quantitative Research Methods
Save
Share
Learn
Content
Leaderboard
Learn
Created by
rimshah ;)
Visit profile
Cards (14)
Who are quantitative methods favoured by?
favoured by
positivists
because they are objective and
numerical
data can be cross
examined
to generate cause and effect relationships and
generalisations
What are lab experiments?
test hypothesis in controlled environments, where researcher changes the
IV
and measures effect of
DV
Strengths of lab -
Highly
reliable
- the original experiment can specify
precisely
what steps are followed
Can easily identify
cause
and
effect
relationships
Weakness of lab -
Artifical
- does not reflect real life behaviour
Hawthorne Effect
- may change behaviour if they know researcher is present
Unrepresentative
- small scaled experiment
Would be impossible to control
ALL
variables (may be some
confounding
variables)
What is a field experiment?
takes place in the real
social
world, whereby the sociologist either creates a
situation
or adopts a real life situation for their research purpose
Strength of field -
less
artificial
- field experiments are set in
real
world situations
high
validity (no
hawthorne
effect)
Limitations of field -
Ethical
issues (lack of
consent
)
Less control over
variables
than
lab
experiments
What are official statistics?
collected by government officials. This method is favoured by positivists because data is quick, cheap and easy to obtain
Advantages of OS -
Practical
- cheap and easy to obtain
Allows researchers to
cross examine
and establish cause and effect relationships
Easy
to compare - collected at
regular
intervals
Representative
/
reliable
- compulsory to fill out
Weakness of OS -
the
government
collects these for their own
benefit
which can be misinterpreted by sociologists
unreliable
- census pps may make
mistakes
Strengths of questionnaires -
Practical
- questionnaires are
cheap
/quick to obtain
Quantifiable
data/representative of a
geographically
widespread research sample
Reliable
- questionnaire can easily be
replicated
Limited
ethical issues - respondent is under
obligation
Weakness of questionnaires -
response rate
- postal questionnaires have a low response rate
Low validity
- people may be more willing to lie
Unrepresentative
- more willing to answer
Interviewer
is not there for follow up questions
Strength of structured interviews -
Practical
- training interviewers and administration is easy and cheap
Representative
- can reach a geographically wide research sample
Results
are easily quantifiable (coded answers)
Reliable
- structured process
Weakness of structured interviews -
Lack of validity
- people may lie or exaggerate