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Flashcards by Em Maskrey, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Em Maskrey
almost 6 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Sociologists use different types of interview in their research. What are the four types sociologists may choose from? | Structured, unstructured, semi-structured and group. |
| What is a structured interview? | An interview following a strict structure. The interview is conducted in the same standardised way each time, with the same questions asked, word for word, in the same order, and so on. |
| What is an unstructured interview? | These are more of a guided conversation - the interviewer has freedom to vary the questions, their wording and order, etc., from one interview to the next, pursuing whatever line of questioning they see appropriate and effective. |
| What is a semi-structured interview? | Interviews consist of the same set of questions, but the interviewer can probe for more information. |
| What is a group interview? | Interviews conducted with multiple people simultaneously. |
| Structured interviews have a handful of practical advantages. What are they? | - Surveys can cover quite large numbers pf people. - They are quick and cheap to administer. - They're suitable for gathering straightforward and factual information. - The results are easily quantified. |
| However, there are also a number of practical issues associated with structured interviews. Give examples: | - Although training interviews is fairly easy and cheap, it is still more costly than other methods (e.g. questionnaires). - Structured interviews cannot match the potentially huge numbers reached by postal questionnaires. |
| Structured interviews allow researchers to survey large numbers of people. What benefit does this carry? | It increases the chances of obtaining a representative sample of the population. |
| The numbers studied using structured interviews are often lower than that of questionnaires. However, what advantage do structured interviews have over questionnaires? | The response rate is higher. |
| Which sample shows the high response rate of structured interviews, and what may this study indicate? | Young and Willmott's study. It may indicate that people find it harder to refuse a face-to-face request, and some may even welcome the opportunity to talk. |
| How can an interview increase response rates for structured interviews? | By calling back several times to pursue those who fail to respond initially. |
| Pursuing those who do not respond will increase the cost of the survey. However, why is it thought to be worth the cost? | Because high response rates help to produce a more representative result and thus a better basis upon which generalisations can be made. |
| However, those who do respond may be untypical. What does this mean? | They are more likely to be people who, for example, have lots of spare time in which they can participate. |
| What impact can untypical respondents have? | They will produce unrepresentative data and undermine validity. |
| Structured interviews are seen as reliable. Why? | Because it is easy for the researcher to standardise and control them. In turn, this makes it easy for later researchers to replicate the interviews precisely. |
| However, a major disadvantage of structured interviews is that they are not valid. Critics of the structured interview argue that there are a number of ways in which they give false representations of whatever is being studied. Give examples: | - They usually use close-ended questions which restrict participants to predetermined answers. - The interviewer has little freedom to explore new avenues of interest. - There is a chance of right answerism, lying and forgetfulness. |
| Interviews are a social interaction. What impact does this have? | There is always the chance that the interaction will influence the answers given. |
| Structured interviews have also been criticised for being inflexible. Why are they seen as such? | Because the questions have been predetermined and new avenues of interest cannot be explored should they arise. This means they lack validity. |
| Which sociological perspective is particularly critical of structured interviews? | Feminism. |
| Hilary Graham argues that survey methods such as questionnaires and structured interviews are patriarchal. Why does she believe this is the case? | - The (typically male) interviewer is in control of the interview, mirroring women's subordination. - Survey methods treat women as isolated individuals rather than seeing them in the subordinate position they hold in society. - Surveys impose the (typically male) researcher's categories upon women, despite their lack of knowledge about life as a woman. |
| The criticisms put forward by Graham and her fellow feminists are similar to those put forward by which other perspective? | Interpretivism. |
| Graham argues that researchers need to use methods that allow the researcher to understand women's behaviour, attitudes and meanings. What method does she advocate for? | Direct observation. |
| An alternative form of interviewing is the unstructured interview. These are considered to produce far more valid data than structured interviews for several reasons. For example, it is said they build rapport and sensitivity. Was is meant by this? | The informal nature allows the interviewer to develop a rapport with the interviewee, which will help them feel at ease and encourage them to speak freely. |
| Which sociologists found that unstructured interviews were particularly useful when researching sensitive topics? | Russell Dobash and Rebecca Dobash. |
| Unstructured interviews are also credited with allowing the interviewee to freely express their view. How do they do this? | Because there are no set questions, they allow interviewees to speak about whatever they deem important. This produces fresh insights and valid data. |
| Another benefit of unstructured interviews is that understanding can be checked. What is meant by this? | If the interviewee doesn't understand a question, they can ask for further explanation. If the interviewer isn't sure what the interviewee's answer mens, they can also ask for further explanation. |
| Unlike structured interviews, unstructured interviews are highly flexible. Why? | The interviewer can ask whatever question they feel is appropriate and relevant and are not confined to predetermined questions. |
| How do unstructured interviews allow researchers to explore unfamiliar topics? | With structured interviews, researchers need some knowledge on the topic prior to beginning. This isn't necessary when conducting unstructured interviews, as the researcher can learn as the interview progresses. |
| However, unstructured interviews have several disadvantages. Firstly, there are a number of practical problems. Give examples: | - Unstructured interviews take a long time to conduct and this limits the sample size. - Interviewers conducting unstructured interviews require specific training. - Interviewers also need interpersonal skills. |
| The smaller numbers involved in unstructured interviews means it is more likely that the sample interviewed will not be representative. Why is this a disadvantage? | Because unrepresentative samples cannot be used to make valid generalisations based on the findings of the interviews. |
| Why are unstructured interviews not reliable? | Because they are not standardised. |
| Why are unstructured interviews not standardised? | Because each unstructured interview is unique and therefore cannot be replicated. |
| Why is it very difficult to quantify the answers given in unstructured interviews? | Because they use mainly open-ended questions which cannot be precoded. |
| The lack of quantitative data makes unstructured interviews less useful for establishing what? | Cause-and-effect relationships. |
| Finally, unstructured interviews are generally seen as producing valid data, but critics argue that the interaction between interviewer and interviewee inevitably does what? | Colours and distorts the information obtained. |
| All interviews involve a social interaction between interviewer and interviewee. However, social interactions can threaten the validity of interviews in several ways. For example, there is a risk of interviewer bias. What does this mean? | The interviewer may ask 'leading' questions and/or their body language, facial expression and tone of voice may imply which answer is 'correct'. |
| Another source of interviewer bias is where the interviewer identifies too closely with the interviewees. Which feminists acknowledged that, as a mother herself, she found it difficult to remain detached and neutral when interviewing other women about maternity and childbirth? | Ann Oakley. |
| Social interactions can also threaten the validity of interviews because they are ultimately artificial. What is meant by this? | Even the most relaxed of unstructured interviews is still an interview and therefore artificial. Under artificial circumstances, it can be questioned whether the answers obtained are truthful and realistic. |
| In addition, the validity of interviews may be lowered due to status and power inequalities. Inequalities between interviewer and interviewee may impact the latter's honesty and willingness to answer. The bigger the status difference, the less valid the data. What did Josephine Rich find? | When adults interview children, the child's need to please the interviewer affects their answers. |
| While all forms of interview risk distorting data as a result of status and power inequalities, the risk is lower for structured interviews. Why? | Because there are more controls over the nature of the interaction. |
| Cultural differences may also undermine validity. There may be misunderstandings as a result of different means being given to the same words. Similarly, the cultural gap may mean that interviewers can't tell when they're being lied. Which sociologist's study examples this? | Margaret Mead. |
| Another disadvantage linked to social interactions is the social desirability effect. What is this? | In social interactions, people often seek to win approval. Interviewees may therefore be on their 'best behaviour' so that they appear in a favourable light. They may also want to avoid appearing ignorant and so make up answers when they do not know the true answers. |
| Finally, while there are relatively few ethical issues with interviews, there is one significant ethical problem. What is it? | Because the interview is a social interaction, the interviewee may feel pressure to answer questions. |
| How may interviewers avoid this ethical issue? | They can gain informed consent, guarantee anonymity and make it clear that interviewees understand that they have a right not to answer any of the questions that they do not wish to. |
| Some researchers use techniques to improve the chances of obtaining valid data. What technique did Alfred Kinsey use? | He asked questions rapidly, giving interviewees little time to think, and used some questions to check the answers given to others. Follow-up interviews were also used. |
| What technique did Howard Becker use? | He used aggression, disbelief and 'playing dumb' to extract sensitive information from interviewees. |
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