Sociological Research Methods

Sociological Research Methods

1. Research Methods

   • Types Of Data
     • Qualititve
       • Numerical data, like percentages, stastics.
     • Quantative
       • Gives you a "feel" about what you're studying. This data must be interpreted
     • Primary Source
       • Social Surveys
       • Participant Observations
       • Experiments
       • Data collect for the sole purpose of your study
     • Secondary Source
       • Official Statstics
       • Documents
       • Data already exsisting, collected by other people but can also be used for other reasons
   • Theoretical Issues
     • Validity
       • Data Being true and real
         • Interpretists
           • prefer qualatitive data, see people as indiviuals, They prefer to look at society miro-level like face to face interactions
     • Reliability
       • Being able to replicate the experiment and product similar/same results
         • Positivists
           • prefer quantative data, seek to discover patterns in behavior. Marxists and functionalist like this approach as its easily generalised to the wider population

2. Experiments

   • Laboratory Experiments
     • High Reliablity
       • No biased
       • Researcher detached
     • Ethical Issues
       • Deception
         • Milgram (1974)
     • The Hawthorne Effect (demand charcteristics)
     • Free Will
       • Humans have free will so behaviour cannot be explained in terms of cause and effect
   • Field Experiments
     • Takes place in natural surroundings
       • Ecological Validity
     • Subjects not aware of being studied, no hawthorne effect

3. Social Surveys

   • Close-ended questions
   • Open ended questions
   • Written questionnaires
   • Interviews
   • Sampling
     • Random Sampling
     • quasi-random sampling